Girlguiding, the UK’s largest girls’ organisation with a membership of around 300,000 across its Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, and Rangers groups, has announced a sweeping change to its membership policy: as of December 2, 2025, trans girls and young women recorded male at birth will no longer be able to join as new members. The decision, described by the organisation as “difficult” and made “with a heavy heart,” comes nearly eight months after a landmark Supreme Court ruling clarified that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex.
In a joint statement released Tuesday, Girlguiding’s chairwoman of trustees Denise Wilson, chief executive Felicity Oswald, and chief guide Tracy Foster explained that the Supreme Court’s April 2025 decision had forced many organisations to confront complex questions about the meaning of ‘woman’ and ‘girl’ in law and policy. They wrote, “Girlguiding has reached the difficult decision that going forward, membership of Girlguiding will be restricted to girls and young women, as defined in the Equality Act (2010).”
“From today, trans girls and young women, and others not recorded female at birth, will no longer be able to join Girlguiding as new young members,” the statement continued. The leaders acknowledged the emotional weight of the change, adding, “This is a decision we would have preferred not to make, and we know that this may be upsetting for members of our community.” According to BBC, Girlguiding’s leadership stressed that the move followed “detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members, its council, and board of trustees.”
While the new policy takes effect immediately for new applicants, current young members will not face immediate changes. Girlguiding has promised to provide further information to existing members in the week following the announcement. The organisation also clarified that it does not collect gender identity data, so it is unable to determine exactly how many members may be affected by the rule change. Members range in age from four to 18, and Girlguiding is supported by around 80,000 volunteers across the UK.
Importantly, the policy does not affect trans boys recorded female at birth, who will still be eligible to join. Most adult volunteer roles, such as unit helpers and administrative support, remain open to all genders, though some positions are specifically designated as female roles.
The reversal marks a significant shift from Girlguiding’s 2017 guidelines, which had allowed trans girls to join and were hailed at the time as a step towards greater inclusion. Now, the organisation’s updated Equality and Diversity Policy restricts membership to “biologically female” applicants, aligning with the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Equality Act 2010.
The decision has drawn sharp reactions from across the spectrum. Katie Alcock, a former Girlguiding unit leader and psychology lecturer at Lancaster University who was expelled in 2018 for expressing gender-critical beliefs, welcomed the policy change. She told the Press Association, “I’m really pleased that girls will be able to have the clarity and safeguarding. Girls deserve to have a space which is single-sex.” Alcock, who initiated legal proceedings against Girlguiding after her expulsion, argued that her concerns were always about safeguarding, particularly in situations involving changing rooms and sleeping arrangements. “I said (before the exclusion) I would follow any policy of Girlguiding as long as it didn’t conflict with safeguarding and they said this wasn’t acceptable,” she recounted.
On the other hand, trans rights campaigners have condemned the move as exclusionary and harmful. Tammy Hymas, policy lead for TransActual, called the policy “yet another horrible act of violence against the most vulnerable trans people,” and added, “It’s awful that an organisation, which would happily be inclusive and has been for many years, is being forced to exclude young trans girls by adults with bigotries and institutional power. There is no problem being solved here, only harm being done.” Hymas also voiced concern that affected young people might be outed by their exclusion or lose access to vital social groups and support networks.
LGBTQ+ rights group Stonewall echoed these concerns, stating, “It is clear Girlguiding have reluctantly come to this decision, contrary to their values. No organisation that seeks to support young people wants to have to tell some of them that they do not belong.” Stonewall and others are now awaiting new statutory guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which is currently under government review. The EHRC’s code of practice, which has not been updated since 2011, is expected to offer clearer direction for organisations on providing single-sex and separate-sex services, including toilets and changing rooms. The code will only come into force 40 days after being laid before Parliament, leaving many organisations in a state of uncertainty.
Human rights advocates have also questioned the interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Oscar Davies, a non-binary barrister at Garden Court Chambers, told PinkNews that the Equality Act is “meant to be a shield rather than a sword. It’s not meant to attack people and get rid of their rights.” Davies suggested that while the ruling allows organisations to create single-sex spaces, it does not require them to automatically exclude trans people. “If you have a single-sex space, my interpretation is that a trans person can still go into that single-sex space, but if someone complains, they can bring out a sex discrimination claim or the organisation can exclude that person, but that doesn’t happen automatically,” Davies explained.
Girlguiding’s leaders have sought to reassure members and the public that the organisation remains committed to inclusion and support for marginalized groups. “Girlguiding believes strongly in our value of inclusion, and we will continue to support young people and adults in marginalised groups,” they wrote. A new task force will be established in the coming months to explore further opportunities to champion inclusion and support those most affected by the rule change.
As debate continues over the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision and the anticipated EHRC guidance, Girlguiding’s policy shift has become emblematic of the broader national conversation on the rights of trans people, the meaning of single-sex spaces, and how organisations can best balance legal obligations with the values of inclusion and safeguarding. For now, the organisation’s core aims and principles remain, but as leaders acknowledged, “Girlguiding may feel a little different going forward.”
The story of Girlguiding’s policy change is far from over, with further updates for members and the wider community expected in the weeks and months ahead. The reverberations of this decision—legal, social, and personal—will continue to shape the landscape for youth organisations and equality policy across the UK.
