Edinburgh Women’s Aid bars transgender women from some services to protect single-sex spaces despite legal challenges.
NHS Fife faces a legal issue. A nurse felt uneasy about a trans woman’s changing room use. Edinburgh Women’s Aid won’t hire trans women. They announced this before a radio show. It differs from Scottish Women’s Aid’s trans-inclusive stance.
The group knows views on sex and gender differ. They respect beliefs of staff and women helped. They want to acknowledge women’s rights to their own beliefs. As a group, they hold specific views on employment.
They cite the Equality Act. It lets them exclude trans women legally. They also exclude males transitioned to non-binary. This applies to group work and refuge spaces. These actions follow legal advice.
Women’s rights advocates support the change. Susan Smith called it a rebuke to hesitant services. She hopes other centers will take similar action. She believes betrayal of vulnerable women needs to stop.
This came after a settlement for Roz Adams’ case. She believed sex is unchangeable. Victims should speak to biological females, she said. A review found victims were “damaged.” The chief executive resigned due to this.
The Scottish Government says safety is priority. They won’t interfere in the charity’s operations. They expect all groups to comply with the Equality Act. Employers must meet health and safety laws too.
They support single-sex exceptions. This is okay under the Equality Act 2010. Exclusion must be proportionate and legitimate. This support does not conflict with trans rights. The government stance is clear.