In recent weeks, several major organisations have decided to exclude transgender women from accessing their spaces and attending their events (including The Women’s Institute, The Girl Guides and Labour’s Women’s conference). This marks a radical reversal of previously established inclusive practices in these organisations and constitutes worrying precedents.
The Women’s Institute began welcoming trans women in the 1970s and made their inclusion official in 2015. Melissa Green, chief executive of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes commented that the organisation made it with the “utmost regret and sadness,” adding it had “no choice” but to exclude trans women from its membership. It is alleged that legal challenges funded by J.K. Rowling’s “Women’s Fund”, from a small minority of members, forced the change.
We are aware of how disconcerting this is for all the transgender members of our community, and their allies, as it is disconcerting to us as well. UCU has condemned the trans-exclusionary moves by the Supreme Court and EHRC.
We stand in solidarity with transgender women and the transgender community generally. We are committed to working with university management to mitigate the impact of legislative changes to ensure our work and learning community remain inclusive for trans people. Please feel free to contact LUCU Equality Officer Angela Martinez Dy with any specific queries. She is committed to prioritising member engagement and raising concerns about forthcoming changes either individually or collectively.