Women’s Institute expresses ‘deep regret’ as it bans trans women after Supreme Court ruling
Why the Women’s Institute has been forced to ban trans women from joining
- The Women's Institute (WI) will ban trans women from formal membership starting April 2026, overturning a 40-year-old policy.
- The organisation said that it had "no other choice" following a UK Supreme Court ruling that defined "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act as referring to biological women and biological sex.
- NFWI chief executive Melissa Green expressed "utmost regret and sadness" over the decision but affirmed the WI's "firm belief that transgender women are women".
- The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in April meant that trans women were no longer considered legally women, a decision experts warned could have wide-ranging ramifications.
- This move by the WI follows a similar announcement from Girlguiding, which also recently banned trans girls from joining.