Is the steady but rapid descent into the insanity that is transgender ideology starting to unravel?
Today (16 April) the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "woman" under the Equality Act 2010 means a biological woman.
It is remarkable that the top justices in England and Wales have been forced into the position of having to declare that as a matter of scientific fact "woman" means biological woman. Crucially, the ruling means single-sex spaces across the UK – and therefore girls and women – will now be protected from incursions by biological men.
It also means that statutory guidance in Scotland that says a trans woman with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) is legally a woman is incorrect. Scottish ministers will need to rethink their guidance. First Minister John Swinney said he “accepts” the decision while a spokesperson for Keir Starmer was slightly more welcoming (it brings “clarity and confidence”).
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called it a “victory”, while the beleaguered Stonewall expressed “deep concern”.
The decision is the latest in a long-running legal challenge by Women Scotland against the Scottish government. All five Supreme Court justices said that the consistent use of the terms "man" and "woman" throughout the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 showed that parliament intended them to mean biological sex – it is a matter of ordinary language and biological reality.
Also, subsequent amendments did not alter that position; and nor did the 2010 Act, which replaced the early Act.
They also ruled that to decide otherwise would give trans people with a GRC greater rights than those who do not. It would also cause confusion and practical problems for, eg single sex services, charities, women’s sports, prisons and the armed forces.
A remarkable decision
The case is remarkable for several reasons, not least for having reached the highest court in the UK. In many ways, we in the West seem increasingly to be living in a parallel universe where gender ideology trumps scientific reality – and a one-sided "tolerance" requires you to embrace that ideology in support of transgender people.
Yet science and truth will not be defeated by the spirit of this world.
A large proportion of society will welcome the decision as a win for common sense and reality. However, there will undoubtedly be a militant backlash by those with an insatiable appetite to push the transgender ideology as far as possible.
And we must not forget that this decision is limited to the statutory meaning of "woman"(and "man" and "sex") for the purposes of equality laws.
It’s notable that in the weeks leading up to this landmark ruling, more and more news stories emerged from detransitioning individuals who discovered their gender dysphoria had been indulged by professionals. They are recognising that following brutal societal, mental and physical transitioning, they were biologically what they always had been.
Meanwhile, US fencer Stephanie Turner took a knee before her transgender opponent in early April and refused to compete. But she did it gracefully, reportedly telling her opponent: “I am sorry. I have a lot of love and respect for you, but I will not fence you.” She was then disqualified from the tournament.
What a timely example of courage and integrity for Christians seeking to take a stand. We must bravely refuse to bow the knee to transgender ideology, and all other societal, institutional and government moves to replace God and truth with a lie.
