Lesbians respond to the UK Supreme Court ruling

The recent, unanimous UK Supreme Court ruling, that ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 means biological sex, was a momentous one for lesbians. We’ve collected here some responses to the ruling from Scottish Lesbians, in our own words.

I cried when I heard the result come through from the Supreme Court. As a lesbian this means everything; that I can now be recognised as a biological women who is same sex attracted to another biological woman. That is what the word Lesbian means, anything else just won't do.

The ruling means we can meet up as lesbians on our own spaces without the fear of men being there too. We can go on dating sites without men being on these too.

I am over the moon.

A lesbian in central Scotland

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I was honoured to attend the Edinburgh For Women Scotland Supreme Court event. Drove up early so went for coffee and gradually more and more women started arriving. There was a hushed atmosphere of women filling up the seats. Finally what we had been waiting for Lord Hodge started speaking on the big screen. The whole room erupted, we cheered, we hugged, we had tears of joy streaming down our faces. Trina trying to speak to us as we gave her the standing ovation she and ForWomenScot deserve for everything they have done for the women of Scotland. It was loud.

Gradually we left the room at the offer of a wee toast to the women, the hall filled with women hugging not quite believing what had been achieved. I was embracing one of the Alloa Women when the media caught me. My relief was all to see, my delight that lesbians didn't have to have men in our spaces was now all over the news. Then we sang, with beautiful acoustics, the perfect song (thank you Lucy Hunter-Blackburn) as if it had been written for that moment. We stand together side by side we will defend our rights. The Scottish women joined together and won, and we would do it all again. This isn't over yet.

A lesbian in central Scotland

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I look forward to the first women’s dance after all these years. And knowing that it’s an actual women’s dance. And I sincerely hope it lives up to my expectations. I look forward to using the word lesbian as frequently and loudly as possible, giving it laldy. Because it has meaning again. But probably more than anything I’m utterly relieved that the decision didn’t go the other way because that would’ve have been like an episode of Black Mirror — a nightmare. It was a high risk play. Thank goodness it came off.

A lesbian in the West of Scotland

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I was totally delighted with the ruling and I feel very proud to be a Scottish Lesbian, especially because of the extremely important intervention made by Scottish Lesbians, along with the other Lesbian Interveners! To have it made plain and clear by the highest court in the land that lesbians can have their own groups just means so much to me.

I have been battling for several years with Scottish Government funded LGBT organisations, such as LGBT Health and Wellbeing and LEAP Sport Scotland, over their insistence that lesbian groups cannot be provided or supported by their services unless they include "all lesbians" by which they mean "trans lesbians" AKA heterosexual men.

These organisations will no longer be able to justify their policy of excluding lesbian groups, or have their funding from the Scottish Government be made dependant on having such policies. These things shouldn't have been happening anyway, but now there can be no pretence that these policies have been legal. I look forward very much to concluding my battles with these services and to the re-establishment of government funded groups and services for lesbians in Scotland.

A lesbian in central Scotland

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I'm a young lesbian in Scotland, and I'm very glad to hear about the Supreme Court ruling clarifying the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010. However, this is just the beginning. Now that we have the law on our side, we as lesbians need to fight to change the culture that tells us we have to accept men in our spaces, in our dating apps, in our bedrooms. But for now, we celebrate!

A lesbian in central Scotland

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Wednesday 16th April 2025 - this was the day the Supreme Court handed down judgement on For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers on the effect of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 on the definitions of “woman” and “man” for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. A date that will forever be held in our memories.

The judgment held that the terms “man”, “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex. My wife and I cheered and clapped for joy and relief that common sense now prevailed. We witnessed the highest court in the land clearing up the muddled mess caused by the Scottish Government.

Women and girls now have protection.

We have a definitive ruling that Self Id was never part of the Equality Act.

Women have the right to single sex spaces and services.

Lesbians have the right to exclude men from their social events and dating circles.

However, I was left with a strong sense of disbelief and anger that the Scottish Government, politicians, NHS, policing and other institutions had allowed themselves to be ideologically captured to such an extent that they willingly and wilfully ignored the law, got it so badly wrong, with such detrimental effects.

It was left to grassroots women's organisations to crowdfund and fight for our sex based rights and protections. To fight for the rights of lesbians to freedom of association without including men, with or without a GRC. Let it be clear, the Supreme Court has ruled, and its position states what the law has always been, not what it should be from the date of the judgement onwards. There can be no more excuses for not abiding by it.

A lesbian in Southern Scotland

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I am very relieved that the ruling has confirmed that the definition of ‘woman’ rests on biology rather than ideology. Now we need to get all the men out of lesbian groups and off the dating apps, and we need LGB separated fully from the TQ+.

A lesbian in the East of Scotland

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It could be easy to underplay the significance of the Supreme Court ruling in my own life, after all I've hardly been at the front of this campaign, but in my own quiet way, resources permitting, I've written letters and blogs, visited elected members, attended the odd Central belt event, and engaged on social media.

I felt a great pressure to do more, possibly under the banner of all women rather than lesbians specifically, but if this ruling has taught me anything, it's that women can and do create change, that speaking out against the tide is uncomfortable at times, and that it's OK to play a small part.

I feel a renewed sense of hope and connection that I haven't felt since pre-Covid times. In an understatement most would recognise, the Scottish Highlands aren't renowned for being a bastion of lesbian activism, but I feel far less alone and more confident about speaking up than ever before, and for that I have an army of bright, bold, and dedicated women to thank.

A lesbian in the Highlands

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I couldn't be more pleased with the Supreme Court judgement. To have men demanding access to lesbian spaces, dating apps and events was just terrible. Even worse has been the pressure on lesbians, particularly young lesbians, to accept these men as sexual partners. It's been very rare that the word Lesbian has been so often mentioned in such an important case.

This judgement says what we all know to be true, that lesbians are women attracted to other women.

Thank you to the Lesbian interveners

A lesbian in the Hebrides

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The Supreme court judgement has given me confidence in the UK judiciary system. It has ratified what we are already knew that the definition of a woman is biological 100 percent adult human female.

Common sense and scientific fact prevails.

The national bodies who promoted this myth for financial gain now need to be challenged. The domino effect of this misinformation has been a breach of our human rights.

The extension of the acronym LGB needs addressed, we can’t group sexualities with medical conditions and fetishes etc it is nonsense.

A lesbian in the West of Scotland

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I am relieved that Scottish Lesbians and other lesbian associations can now operate in peace and in confidence. The provision of lesbian groups has been left to ordinary women to organise. We have had to use our own time and resources and we have had to run the risk that a man might legally challenge us if we refused him membership. We look forward to better times ahead for lesbians and to being left alone to start rebuilding our community.

A lesbian in the West of Scotland

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Please feel free to add your own thoughts or reactions in the comments!