Trans girls will no longer be able to join Girlguiding, the organisation has announced, saying it has made the decision after seeking legal advice as a result of the supreme court ruling on gender earlier this year.

In April, the supreme court ruled that for the purposes of the Equality Act, the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex, with significant ramifications for who can now access women-only services and spaces.

Its policy allowing trans members was introduced to some criticism in 2018, but Girlguiding defended its decision by saying: “Simply being transgender does not make someone more of a safeguarding risk than any other person.”

In response to the announcement Helen Belcher, chair of TransActual said “Our thoughts are with the people who may be outed by their exclusion, or lose access to their vital social groups and support networks at a time when those are more important than ever”. Helen further stated that the government’s actions are causing lasting harm to LGBTQ+ people by excluding trans individuals from activities they enjoy with loved ones.

See also: Pink News – Girlguiding says it has no clue how many trans girls it will exclude under ban