Thousands of transgender individuals and supporters gathered in London’s Parliament Square following a ruling by the UK Supreme Court that defines the word “woman” in the Equality Act as referring strictly to biological females.
The decision, which also applies to those holding a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), effectively limits the scope of the 2010 anti-discrimination law by excluding legal gender recognition from the definition of sex.
Protesters held signs reading “Trans women are women” and labeled the ruling as “transphobic.” The demonstration also saw acts of vandalism, with police reporting that seven statues were defaced, including that of women’s rights pioneer Millicent Fawcett.
HAPPENING NOW: A HUGE crowd of protesters chant “Trans Rights Now!” in Parliament Square in London in the wake of the recent UK Supreme Court ruling against trans people 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/46y6aP19Qn
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) April 19, 2025
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the damage: “Criminal acts like these — including to statues of figures who stood for freedom and justice such as Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, and Millicent Fawcett — are disgraceful. It’s right that the police are investigating.”
A representative for Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson also denounced the graffiti, calling the defacement of the Fawcett statue “appalling.”
The Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling clarified that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer to biological characteristics, not legal gender status. Judges argued that recognizing “certificated” sex instead of biological sex would undermine the act’s internal logic.
London trans rights protest no arrests pic.twitter.com/j9fmqi0vnP
— neil (@neiljettel3) April 20, 2025
The decision was welcomed by the conservative advocacy group For Women Scotland, whose legal challenge led to the ruling. “Sex is real, and women can now feel secure that female-only spaces are protected,” said co-founder Susan Smith.
LGBTQ+ organizations, including Stonewall, strongly criticized the judgment, warning that it could have far-reaching and damaging effects on trans communities across the country.
