When you try to imagine the lives of trans people in the UK today, you could be forgiven for thinking they have always been dominated entirely by fear and anxiety. Things have been getting worse, but until recently, my life as a transgender woman had not been consumed with worrying about how I’m supposed to live it. That is, until last year’s UK supreme court ruling.

In fact, when I’ve worried about needing a bathroom or felt hesitant about taking up space when invited to join a women’s network, it’s been other women who have made me feel welcome and pushed me to stop worrying. This was the reality for many trans people in the UK until 2025, when the court decided that “man” and “woman” in the Equality Act must refer to “biological sex”, upending decades of shared understanding of the law.

We saw the decision greeted with laughter and celebration by gender critical campaigners, and welcomed by ministers. Despite the court saying its decision would not disadvantage trans people, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) tried to implement it in a way that tore up previous protections. The EHRC’s initial advice stated that trans people should be excluded from any service or association for men or women, or gay and lesbian people, that matches their gender – whatever the wishes of the organisations running them.

The regulator left no glimmer of........

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