The University of Birmingham campus Unison and UCU branches extend solidarity to our transgender, non-binary, intersex and gender diverse members and colleagues. The Supreme Court ruling that ‘woman’ is defined in the Equalities Act as someone who was biologically female at birth is in direct violation of the Gender Recognition Act 2004, not to mention being “scientifically illiterate”, and has devastated all of us. The EHRC interim guidance published on 26th April has been condemned as a huge overstep on the part of the EHRC, and would see workplaces open to the public, such as Universities, ban transgender people from single sex spaces that are safest for them. Policing single sex spaces is a threat to all women; it demands that every woman be scrutinised, judged and excluded or accepted by whether she is “feminine enough.” Threats to transgender rights are therefore threats to all our rights – to bodily autonomy, privacy, freedom of association, and liberation from patriarchy.

We are united in our call for the University to ignore the EHRC interim guidance. We also want to let you know what work we are currently doing to fight against any potential rollback of transgender rights and protections on campus.

On Saturday 26th April, Unison and UCU representatives and members, both from our local branches and from our regional self-organised groups, attended two protests in Birmingham city centre where we heard from transgender, non-binary, intersex and gender diverse activists, poets, unionists and organisers. These protests were very well attended by both the trans+ community and our allies.

On Monday 28th April, Unison representatives tabled the Supreme Court ruling and interim guidance in the AOB of a pre-arranged negotiating meeting with HR. We requested that the University wait for the summer statutory guidance, do not implement the interim guidance (on the basis that it will cause great harm and may put the University at greater risk of breaching equalities and human rights law than if they don’t), and consult with the trade unions and staff networks when the summer guidance is published.

On Tuesday 29th April, off the back of Monday’s meeting, BUCU and UoB Unison sent a joint letter to HR outlining our response to the Supreme Court ruling and EHRC interim guidance, plus requests for how the University can support transgender, non-binary, intersex and gender diverse staff and students. This was written with contributions and oversight from members who are themselves trans and you can read it here.

On Wednesday 30th April, there was a very small update in the All Staff Briefing on the Supreme Court ruling. The University is seeking guidance on the practical and legal implications of the ruling and anticipate further guidance from the EHRC. Whilst the University reaffirmed its commitment to being “an open, welcoming, supportive place for everyone in our community,’ the unions are disappointed that there is no commitment to its transgender staff and students, and that the University has not clarified existing guidance, which can be read here. Other Universities such as Leeds University have published much longer statements explicitly stating they support their transgender staff and students in these difficult times, and we should expect nothing less from our own University.

At a national level, a union organising meeting took place on Monday evening, with over 300 union members and activists from across the UK joining, including reps from UoB Unison and BUCU. A network of Trade Unionists for Trans Rights (TU4TR)  has been created on the back of this and they are calling for a workplace Day of Solidarity for Trans Rights, which took place on Wednesday 7th May 2025.

Link to letter by the Joint Unions to the University, 29 April

Link to the University’s Guidance for Supporting Transgender Staff and Students.