The Trans Agenda: Legal threats reign Supreme

News you need, the perspective you won't find anywhere else. The trans community's guide to UK news, media and politics and our place in it.

26 May 2025

Apologies for the random nature of how the Trans Agenda has been published lately. I'm finding the Sunday slot is not really working for me at present and, while the football has now ended for a couple of months meaning my Sundays are free again for at least six weeks, I think I will move it permanently to a new slot during the week. Until I work out what day is best, please bear with me.

Now, on with the nonsense...

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UK & IRELAND

UN experts warn UK could face new trans rights case in European court [Irish Legal]

• The UK may soon face fresh legal action at the European Court of Human Rights over its Supreme Court ruling that the term “woman” in the Equality Act refers solely to 'biological sex'. 18 UN experts have warned the judgment could justify exclusionary practices that endanger trans rights, particularly for trans women. They raised concerns that the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s interim guidance risks blocking trans people from accessing gender-appropriate facilities. Highlighting past ECHR rulings, the experts urged UK lawmakers to reform laws in line with international human rights obligations to ensure, yep, you guessed it, dignity and equality for all. All the dignity.

EHRC under pressure over secret meeting with anti-trans group [TACC]

• Documents obtained by TACC reveal that the anti-trans group Sex Matters held a closed-door meeting with the EHRC in September 2024, pressing the Commission to support blanket exclusions of trans people from services. Follow-up emails to Baroness Falkner included suggested edits to statutory guidance, aiming to roll back trans rights under the Equality Act 2010, which is exactly what the EHRC did with their interim update that was rushed out at 10pm on a Friday evening without even informing EHRC staff.

Court rules misgendering not automatically transphobic [Scottish Daily Mail]

• A Scottish sheriff has ruled that referring to a trans woman by her sex assigned at birth is not inherently transphobic, acquitting Jane Sutherley of abuse charges brought by fellow inmate Alexandria Stewart. Sheriff Thomas Millar concluded, erroneously, that referencing someone’s “original biological state” does not in itself constitute transphobia.

Streeting moving towards hormone ban for trans kids

• The High Court has dismissed a legal bid to force the UK government into an immediate ban on hormone treatment for trans kids, with judges stating that the anti-trans Health Secretary Wes Streeting has convened a working group looking at doing that, anyway.

  This follows legal action from anti-trans activist Keira Bell, who seeks to force a blanket ban after campaigning to restrict puberty blocker access. Bell, who regrets her own transition and wants to punish all trans people because of her own mistakes, sought to pressure Streeting into banning hormones for under-18s, arguing that his decision to wait for further expert guidance was “irrational,” unlike everything she is doing with her life.

  That ‘expert guidance’ will be deliberately crafted to exclude trans people and deliver the result Streeting and Bell want, anyway, so I'm not sure why she has to waste so much money rather than just showing a little patience.

Former Supreme Court president criticises reaction to Supreme Court’s sex definition ruling [Guardian]

• Former Supreme Court president, Lady Hale, has criticised the reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling, calling it “misinterpreted”. Speaking at a literary festival, she said the judgment does not prohibit gender-neutral facilities and questioned the concept of “biological sex”, noting some doctors argue it does not exist in fixed terms, which is almost correct. It is 'most, not 'some'.

Parliament stands firm on inclusion with EHRC guidance pending

• Despite pressure from anti-trans activists, both Houses of Parliament have confirmed they will not ban trans women from using female toilets, choosing instead to wait for final guidance from the compromised Equality and Human Rights Commission, when they will be given cover to do it.

Police ban trans officers from strip-searching women after legal pressure

• Trans police officers will no longer be permitted to carry out strip-searches on detainees of the same gender, following new guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. The change comes in response to growing pressure from anti-trans activists. They are still unhappy, however, as the guidance allows limited exceptions, where a trans detainee may request a search by someone of the same gender, as long as the officer consents. These so-called 'feminists' appear to have no problem with police strip searches in general, as long as no trans people are involved. To be fair, that's their view of everything.

Rowling pledges support for lawsuits against trans-inclusive policies

• JK Rowling has pledged to fund legal action by female prisoners who object to sharing prison space with transgender women, calling it a “human rights violation.” Rowling also said, “Saying these things is not hate, but truth.”
  
  Last week, it was reported that a group of five women are suing the government because of their treatment in prison, but it has nothing to do with trans inclusion. One of the women, a domestic abuse survivor, alleges that she was left handcuffed and alone to a male officer while in labour.

  Rowling seems to have no interest in that case, but she followed up her initial offer by launching a private fund to support legal cases opposing trans inclusion in women’s spaces. The “JK Rowling Women’s Fund” aims to back individuals and groups seeking to force their view of “sex-based rights” on to workplaces, public life, and services.

POLITICS

Labour pushing for by-election after Plymouth’s first trans councillor joins Lib Dems

• Plymouth Labour is demanding a by-election in Compton after Dylan Tippetts, the city’s first openly trans councillor, defected to the Liberal Democrats. Elected as a Labour councillor in 2022, Tippetts left the party accusing it of “throwing transgender people under the bus” before switching parties just five days after briefly sitting as an Independent. Labour said residents “did not choose a Lib Dem councillor” and accused Tippetts of betraying the mandate given by voters. Tippetts, who will not stand again next year, said the Lib Dems are “the party of fairness” and defended his decision as one of principle.

Labour cancels women’s conference amid legal threats

• Labour has cancelled its annual women’s conference, nonsensically citing legal risk after the Supreme Court ruling on single-sex services. The decision follows a vote by the party’s National Executive Committee to rewrite policies restricting women’s representation initiatives to those “born female”. The move has provoked backlash from both trans rights advocates and anti-trans activists. Labour for Trans Rights condemned it as “a blatant attack on trans rights”, while the anti-trans Labour Women’s Declaration warned of “incendiary” consequences.

Sinn Féin’s support dips amid growing disillusionment [Belfast Telegraph]

• Sinn Féin has dropped to 26% in the latest Lucidtalk Assembly poll, its lowest rating in three years. While it maintains an eight-point lead over the DUP, the fall comes amid backlash over its perceived failures in government and recent abandonment of trans rights in Northern Ireland. Support for the TUV and UUP has risen to 12% as they try to capture the type of people who would vote Reform in NI if they could. Health, cost of living, and jobs dominate concerns, but younger and progressive voters also rank immigration and education as key issues. The poll suggests growing discontent across the spectrum, particularly among marginalised communities.

MEDIA

IPSO force The Herald to print 'clarification'

• The generally-useless Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) ordered The Herald to issue a 'clarification' after the paper published a 'misleading' headline about Police Scotland’s handling of sex and gender data in rape cases. Under the headline “Police will not record sex of suspects in rape cases”, the original article distorted Police Scotland’s actual policy, which does not omit sex data but handles cases involving trans suspects individually, pending an ongoing internal review. They can handle them individually because there are so few.

RedBird consortium agrees Telegraph takeover for £500m

• A consortium led by US private equity firm RedBird Capital has agreed a £500m deal in principle to acquire the Daily and Sunday Telegraph. RedBird will become the controlling owner, with support from UK investors to meet legal limits on foreign ownership. The deal follows legislation barring foreign states or affiliates from owning UK news titles. Minority stakes may include Lord Rothermere’s DMGT (Daily Mail), pending regulatory clearance. IMI, backed by Sheikh Mansour, will retain a small share. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is expected to trigger a public interest review of the transaction.
  
  Current editor, Chris Evans, is believed to be happy about the takeover, which indicates he will be allowed to continue his obsession with trying to destroy trans people on a daily basis.

SPORT

Fans protest FA transgender ban at Wembley final

• Supporters from Chelsea Pride and Rainbow Devils staged a protest ahead of the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley, condemning the FA’s decision to ban trans women from participating in football at all levels. The ban has been echoed in cricket and netball. Protesters marched up Olympic Way with trans flags and banners, calling out the “profound cruelty” of excluding trans players. Rainbow Devils stated: “Football is meant to unite, not divide.” The FA declined to comment, no doubt still cowering at the threat of legal action from the well-funded anti-trans hate brigade.

FA bans trans women to 'protect' women’s football while letting clubs like Blackburn walk away

• As the FA bans trans women from the women’s game in the name of fairness, its silence on structural failures within the game speaks volumes. This week, Blackburn Rovers confirmed they will withdraw from WSL2, the second tier of women’s football, after deciding not to meet basic league standards for facilities, staffing, and player welfare.

  The club's exit highlights the fragility of the domestic game, which receives nowhere near the backing its male counterparts enjoy. While the FA targets a minority, it offers little-to-no protection to the women’s teams it claims to defend.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

NHS faces rising negligence costs while fast-tracking trans care ban [Guardian]

• MPs have condemned the government for setting aside £58.2 billion to cover NHS negligence claims, while failing to act on avoidable harm in patient care. A damning report by the public accounts committee said ministers had not implemented promised safety reforms, despite record payouts of £2.8 billion last year, including £536 million in legal fees alone.

  I’d like to point to the contrast with how quickly the government passed emergency legislation to restrict healthcare for trans children based on fabricated safety claims, while showing no urgency to address real, ongoing harm in NHS maternity care and other services. Two-thirds of maternity units in England were rated substandard in 2023, yet ministers have yet to act. But, you know, ‘just protecting women and children’ etc etc.

Tory MPs still a bigger danger than trans people

• Patrick Spencer, Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, has been charged with sexually assaulting two women at The Groucho Club in August 2023. The 37-year-old was interviewed by police in March and now faces two counts of sexual assault. He has been suspended from the Conservative Party and had the whip withdrawn. Spencer denies the charges and intends to contest them in court. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 June. Tory MPs continue to remain a bigger danger to women than trans people yet no-one seems to be calling for them to be segregated from society.

Labour councillors still a bigger danger than trans people [BBC]

• Keith Jones, a Cardiff councillor and former teacher, has been expelled from Welsh Labour following a party investigation that found he sexually harassed a 17-year-old at a social event in 2016. The incident, which occurred in Liverpool, was corroborated by multiple witnesses, according to the party’s Independent Complaints Board. Jones, who now sits as an independent councillor for Llanrumney, had previously been suspended for inappropriate messaging and was dismissed from teaching in 2010. The complaint was submitted in 2022 after plans to appoint Jones to Cardiff Council’s cabinet.

Italy’s top court rules in favour of lesbian mothers’ parental rights

• Italy’s Constitutional Court has ruled that both women in a lesbian couple can be listed as parents on a child’s birth certificate, a landmark decision hailed as “historic” by opposition politicians and a direct challenge to Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right government. The judgment found it unconstitutional to deny parental recognition to the non-biological mother in same-sex families, calling such exclusion discriminatory and contrary to the child’s best interests. The ruling rebukes Meloni’s efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ family rights and dismantles her interior minister’s 2023 directive forbidding town halls from registering both parents in same-sex households.

SHORTS

• Bloomsbury, best known as the publisher of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, saw its share price tumble nearly 20% after reporting a 22% drop in annual profits to £32.5 million.

• “Shabana Mahmood will consider overhauling medical and legal convention that medical treatment must receive the consent of the individual.” [Times]

• "Angela Rayner is under pressure to introduce legal protections for staff expressing Right-wing views as part of Labour’s workers’ rights reform" [Telegraph]

• "Peter Tatchell accused stewards at a pro-Palestine march of using the police to ‘silence’ his criticism of Hamas. "The veteran human rights activist was holding a placard which read ‘Stop Israel genocide! Stop Hamas executions!’ when he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police." [Mail]

• "Prisoners could be used by councils to fill potholes and empty bins under radical plans for chain gang-style rehabilitation." [Mail]

• "Paedophiles and other sex offenders will face mandatory chemical castration under radical plans being considered by the justice secretary." [Times]

WHAT’S ON

Parliament is in recess until 2 June 2025

Monday 26 May

• Spring Bank Holiday

Tuesday 27 May

• Report: NHS Scotland waiting time statistics

Thursday 29 May

• CPAC Hungary begins

Friday 30 May

• Russell Brand in court on rape charges

• CPAC Hungary ends

Sunday 1 June

• Ban on trans women playing women’s football in England begins.

• Ban on disposable vapes takes effect

• Polish presidential election runoff

• Atlantic hurricane season begins