Our statement on the Supreme Court ruling and EHRC’s response
In April 2025, the trans community in the UK was dealt a devastating double blow.
On April 16th, the Supreme Court ruled that, for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010, "sex" should be interpreted as biological sex as recorded at birth.
Doctors have termed the Supreme Court ruling on transgender issues as “scientifically illiterate.” The British Medical Association’s (BMA) resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, have voted to “condemn” the decision, which determined that trans women are not legally recognised as women.
And it didn’t stop there.
On April 25th, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)—an organisation already known for its sustained hostility toward the trans community—released interim guidance that significantly overreaches the legal implications of the Supreme Court ruling. This guidance, which has no legal force, promotes an alarmingly broad and punitive interpretation of the ruling. It suggests widespread preemptive exclusion of trans people from all single-sex spaces, regardless of their lived gender, safety, or well-being.
At Anne Health, we are clear: this is not protection. This is segregation.
In the same way that in Apartheid South Africa, white women sought to exclude people of colour because they made them feel uncomfortable, citing their ‘privacy and dignity’ as a valid reason for this exclusion, the exact wording is being used to justify the exclusion of trans women from single sex spaces. Have no doubt. It comes from the same place of bigotry and prejudice.
The interim guidance has no legal standing—it does not change the law or compel employers or service providers to act. Yet its wording appears deliberately misleading, as if to imply it carries legal authority. It does not. No one is legally bound to follow this guidance; in fact, it is likely that if service providers follow these directives, they will be breaking the law. This ‘guidance’ should be understood as a political signal, not a legal requirement.
This isn’t about safeguarding. It’s about state-sanctioned discrimination.
Trans people already face some of the highest rates of abuse, violence, and hate crime in the UK. This ruling and the EHRC’s interim guidance don’t just ignore that reality—they amplify it. They embolden those who seek to harm trans people, and they send a message that the state will stand behind that harm.
This moment is not just about trans rights. It’s about the kind of society we want to live in.
A society where dignity and safety are reserved only for those who "look the part" is not a just society. A society that forces trans women into men’s toilets is not a safe society. A society that equates womanhood with biology alone is not a feminist society.
We stand firmly against this regressive agenda and with all those impacted by it. Trans women, trans men and non-binary people, and anyone who dares to live outside the narrow bounds of gender norms.
This is not neutrality. This is a political attack.
Anne Health will continue to provide compassionate, expert, gender-affirming care to those who need it. Because trans people deserve safety, dignity, and autonomy. Our service centres around trans people being seen, respected, and cared for. And we will never step back from that.
Solidarity to every trans person reeling from this moment. You are not alone. We see you. We will fight for you.
And for cis allies, act now.
Donate to support trans people directly
And if you see someone being targeted, if you can do so safely, intervene.
The Anne Health Team 💙
For press inquiries, please contact us at hello@anne.health.