Written by Anonymous
Following the Supreme Court decision on the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers, LSE Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) has launched a consultation on how the ruling will impact the university’s Transgender Inclusion Policy and access to facilities on campus.
In April 2024, the UK Supreme Court ruled on the case raised by For Women Scotland, over whether a person with a full Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) is female for the purposes of the Equality Act (EA 2010). The Court ruled that references to ‘man’, ‘woman’, and ‘sex’ — in the eyes of the EA 2010 — refer to sex assigned at birth.
This ruling has caused some transgender people in the UK to fear that their rights will be eroded and that they will be excluded from public life. These fears have been stoked as the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published interim guidance for service providers, which states that trans men and women cannot access single-sex facilities and must use those that match their sex assigned at birth, rather than the ones that match their gender identity.
In response, an appeal by the Good Law Project has been launched over concerns that trans voices were not heard during the case, arguing that the Supreme Court has placed the UK in breach of the Human Rights Act.
Reacting to both sets of legislation, LSE has begun a Listening and Engagement Exercise on a set of “strategic principles” led by its EDI team and its new General Counsel, Elizabeth Messud. The focus of this exercise is to ascertain the views of staff and student groups on campus to inform future policy, such as the Trans Inclusion Policy and the use of school facilities. This has been facilitated through focus groups (led by LSESU ) and one-to-ones (led by the LSE EDI team). The exercise finishes on 6 October with two final sets of focus groups for LGBTQ+ students on 29 September and 3 October for everyone.
Various staff and student groups have responded differently to LSE EDI’s consultation. The staff unions have issued statements in support of the trans community and have argued for the protection of transgender staff and students at LSE. Similarly, representative of the LSE LGBTQIA+ staff network, Spectrum, said:
“LSE has always championed an inclusive facilities policy for our trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming staff and students. We acknowledge the uncertainty and fear that the UK Supreme Court judgment has created for our queer community. We recognise the importance of the Listening Exercise to highlight these concerns and to provide the framework for us to ensure that our community feels safe, included, and respected when using facilities on campus. With the Listening Exercise closing on 6 October, we strongly encourage staff and students to make [their] voices heard on a topic which will have a longer-term impact on the future of our facilities’ access.”
On the student side, the LGBTQ+ Society has issued a statement of solidarity with its students, saying:
“Trans students at LSE deserve clarity and not to feel fear when they come to campus. LSE must ensure that appropriate access and safeguards are in place to protect trans and non-binary students. I would urge anyone who hasn’t already done so to attend a focus group or submit written feedback so queer voices are heard.”
Separately, the SU has launched a new campaign – TransFormation – in response to the ruling and LSE’s consultation, which is led by the LGBTQ+ Officer, Ardour Kelshiker-Williams. This includes a Student Policy which commits the SU to “resist any and all future attempts … to scrutinise or police toilets” and to lobby the School to increase the number of gender-neutral facilities on campus. This policy exists alongside further internal lobbying by the Sabbatical Officers and LGBTQ+ Officer.
The results of the Listening Exercise and the new Trans Inclusion Policy remain to be seen as LSE awaits the full EHRC guidance for service providers and workplaces.
An LSE Spokesperson said:
“LSE is fully committed to upholding equity, diversity and inclusion and works closely with multiple departments, teams and networks to improve the experience of all. Following the April 2025 Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers, the School is taking some time to listen to the concerns and questions from our community.
From mid-June 2025 to early October, the EDI and Legal teams are leading a listening and engagement exercise focused on issues related to facilities arrangements, ensuring they are both legally compliant and inclusive for everyone. The exercise is focussed on collecting our community’s feedback on a set of strategic principles which can be found on our dedicated web page at Engagement and Listening Exercise. These principles will guide our approach to facilities management going forward. Once we’ve concluded the exercise and a summary report of the feedback we’ve received will be published later in the Autumn Term.
We are also liaising with the LSESU and our campus trades unions, and have committed to not proposing any changes to our current facilities use policies until the revised Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory code of practice is published. Any such proposals will be subject to further consultation with the community.”
