How Scottish women won back their rights

On April 16, the UK Supreme Court handed down a judgement determining that the terms “man,” “woman,” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex (not gender identity). After years of fighting for the return of women’s sex-based rights, the group For Women Scotland succeeded in winning their case brought against the Scottish Ministers. Going forward, a man identifying as a “woman” or a “transwoman,” even with a gender recognition certificate (GRC), will not be considered female under UK law, and therefore will not be permitted into women-only spaces such as bathrooms, prisons, change rooms, and shelters.

I spoke with Susan Smith, a founder of For Women Scotland, about the group, their fight, and what this win means for women in the UK.