Supreme Court judgement uk: what this means for charity staff and volunteers and how you can support them
Signed By: The Proud Changemakers Senior Leadership Team
Authored by Catherine Goodall and Edited by Paige Hughes
Many LGBTQIA+ people have been profoundly impacted by the recent Supreme Court judgement on sex and gender in relation to the Equality Act 2010.
This piece sets out what you might need to know as a charity, how it is likely impacting your staff or volunteers, and some steps you might want to take.
What was the judgement?
On 16th April 2025 the UK Supreme Court issued a ruling that for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 the term “sex” should be understood to refer solely to “biological sex”, in their terms the sex as originally recorded at birth on a person’s birth certificate. It has been reported that this is at odds with the original intent of the law.
This ruling was as a result of a case brought by For Women Scotland a gender critical group who were challenging the inclusion of trans women with a Gender Recognition Certificate to form part of a quota for women’s representation on boards in Scotland. There is more detail here on the case, the legal implications and its potential impact.
What has happened since the judgement?
A range of bodies and organisations have issued statements, guidance and announced changes to policy. On Friday the EHRC issued interim guidance, which you can read about in more detail here.
what does this mean for your charity staff and volunteers?
For many in our community this is a deeply upsetting, unsettling and scary time.
Transphobia and attacks on our community have increased significantly in recent years, and these recent changes weigh heavily. Trans, intersex and gender non-conforming people are at direct and indirect risk of harassment, discrimination and hatred. Many are scared, exhausted and anxious. There are crucial questions still unanswered about how the day to day existence may or may not change as a result of this judgement and the fall out. The loved ones, partners and families of people impacted are worried. Collectively many of us are deeply affected in a wide variety of ways.
This is the context that your staff and volunteers who identify as LGBTQIA+, or are close to LGBTQIA+ people (perhaps colleagues, friends, family members) are currently operating within.
They are expected to carry on as normal, when our community faces what feels like, and potentially is, an existential threat. We encourage organisations to keep this in mind when working and communicating with people impacted by this ruling. You may not know if they or their loved ones are part of the community, and they shouldn't have to disclose this to receive compassion and understanding.
what can you do?
Understand the situation and its impact
If you’re not familiar with this case, you can start by researching what is happening. We ask that you are critical of the sources you read - try to find factual, legally accurate and balanced sources. Be sure to explore commentary and reaction from within the LGBTQIA+ community, to understand more about how this impacts our lives.
Be a safe space
You can demonstrate awareness, openness and support for your staff and volunteers in a wide variety of ways. You may wish to communicate with them, to acknowledge that this is a difficult time, to share offers of support and to recognise the impact this has.
Be mindful and inclusive about any actions you take
If you are unsure about the legal implications of the judgement on your policies, building facilities or any other organisational processes, try to seek legal advice if you are able to. If you have an LGBTQIA+ staff network, try to offer them support and engage them safely and compassionately in consultation on any changes.
Take meaningful actions
Our community needs allyship and support now. There are a huge variety of ways you can get involved with that. Can you give staff time off to volunteer for LGBTQIA+ causes, or organise a volunteering day? Can you make a donation or give your public support to a trans-led group or organisation?
Leaders play a vital role in setting their organisation’s culture and in making spaces safe. As a leader what steps can you take to demonstrate your commitment to, support for or allyship with the community? Consider all the ways you can do this, through communication, giving your time, energy and resources, or using your power and influence positively.
How can we help?
We are experts both in supporting charity staff and volunteers, and in ensuring that LGBTQIA+ people are safe and supported within organisations.
We are happy to connect with you if you have questions, are looking to get involved with and support our work, or if you are interested in finding out the other ways we might be able to work together.
We are a small volunteer-led organisation, so it may take us a few days to get back to you, but we will aim to reply as soon as we can.
Drop us an email - hello@proudchangemakers.org
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