Trans people are welcome in my spaces. I am not at all afraid of trans women. I would probably be mildly weirded out by a trans man in a ladies' bathroom, but equally I want him to feel safe, and if he's not feeling safe or is not allowed in the gents', come on in with me.

I hate that this UK supreme court ruling is causing people in the public eye post whatever particular prejudice or bigoted view they have about trans people existing, as if it's now an OK view to hold. Gross.

"But the court has held that it would be problematic to effectively divide trans people between two different protected characteristics, depending on whether they have a certificate."

What does this specifically refer to? I mean we already divide the whole populace, and what of intersex people?

@sarajw the whole "but what about lesbians" bullshit in that ruling made me *so angry*
@adriano I don't think I've seen that bit..

@sarajw stuff like

“And allowing trans women the same legal status as biological women could also affect spaces and services designed specifically for lesbians, who had also suffered historical discrimination and abuse.

Kishwer Falkner, the chair of the EHRC, said it was pleased the ruling had dealt with its concerns about the lack of clarity around single-sex and lesbian-only spaces, but would need time to fully understand its implications.”

@sarajw I’m trying not to yell at inanimate objects so much these days but it’s hard. The presenter on the BBC Today programme (Nick Robinson) just casually let this roll out, “Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that trans women are not women…” and I find myself involuntarily screaming at a speaker, “that’s not what they ruled, you absolute dolt, please stop talking!” But obviously a lot of people feel like they now have cover to reveal what they always wished were true, facts be damned. As this settles in I think some might be surprised to find that trans women still exist, they are still women even if not biologically so at birth, and they still have human rights and legal protections. Interestingly, I worked at the BBC for many years (in the UK) and, as an American, I was constantly delighted that their offices had no separate “men’s” and “women’s” toilets. (There’s no legal requirement anyone must.) Each floor had several single-person closet-sized toilets and no need to check anyone’s certificate or genitalia upon entry. This is not an unsolvable problem, it just takes a little consideration and compassion.
@micmath ugh yes - it's probably been written quite carefully but then reported very badly and without the specifics and nuance needed. But not everyone has the time to read 88 pages. Nick Robinson maybe should have though!
@micmath also agreed, unisex toilets! With some indication on whether a grouped set of toilets has urinals or not.
@sarajw a wordier but more nuanced way for Nick to put it might be, “now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the drafters of the Equality Act were referring to biological women when they used the term ‘women’ so a trans woman can’t use those parts of that act when claiming protected status…” But I will concede that this doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily. To be fair, the person he was interviewing did politely correct him.
@micmath oh! Good, glad it didn't just slip by unnoticed.
@sarajw get me off terf island