Single sex toilets must exclude transgender people, says EHRC
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has issued new guidance stating that single-sex toilets and changing rooms in England, Wales, and Scotland must exclude transgender individuals. This guidance follows a supreme court ruling that defines sex in the Equality Act as referring only to biological sex. While the guidance is seen as a victory for gender-critical campaigners, it raises concerns about the potential exclusion of transgender people from public spaces.
- ▪The EHRC's guidance mandates that single-sex facilities must be based on biological sex.
- ▪Businesses are required to provide alternatives, such as gender-neutral toilets, for those who do not wish to use facilities designated for their biological sex.
- ▪Critics fear that the guidance will lead to increased exclusion of transgender individuals from public life.
2 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 5 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: centre. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ Britain sets out when transgender people can be excluded from single-sex spaces after court ruling — Straits Times — World
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/21/single-sex-toilets-exclude-transgender-people-england-wales-scotland-code-of-practice |
| Publication time | Thu, 21 May 2026 18:33:14 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-21T18:41:35.666Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-21T18:41:35.666Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Cluster | IL334I8w_wtj · 2 stories |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
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For Women Scotland has criticised how long it has taken for the EHRC’s guidance to be implemented. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianView image in fullscreenFor Women Scotland has criticised how long it has taken for the EHRC’s guidance to be implemented. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianGenderSingle sex toilets must exclude transgender people, says EHRCUpdated code of practice covering England, Wales and Scotland also relates to changing rooms and follows supreme court rulingLibby BrooksThu 21 May 2026 14.33 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleSingle sex toilets and changing rooms in England, Wales and Scotland must exclude transgender men and women, according to a new code of practice from the equalities watchdog.But the long-awaited guidance also says that businesses and…
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