Mick Hartley

Depressing, but not surprising:

Whitehall is refusing to implement single-sex spaces in government departments until Britain’s equality regulator intervenes, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of the word “woman” as it is used in the Equality Act.

The Times understands that departments have been told to keep existing policies in effect while reviews are undertaken, even though they may conflict with the ruling, which said single-sex spaces must be based on biological sex.

Meanwhile, members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the largest civil service union, are calling for “possible industrial, legal and human rights challenges” to guidance that had the effect of “segregating our trans and non-binary members in the workplace”.

The idea that our "our trans and non-binary members" are some poor persecuted minority – while women just need to shut up and move aside – is so ingrained by now in polite society that the mere fact that all this is illegal hardly registers.

Human resources and staff networks have advised civil servants that the policies remain in effect while they are under review, despite many advising that transgender people are able to use whichever facilities they feel most comfortable with.

The Daily Mail reported that members of the PCS union were pushing to ensure any government guidance that imposed single-sex spaces based on biology was “vigorously opposed”.

A government spokesperson said: “We will update policy wherever it is necessary and will be guided by the revised EHRC code of practice when it becomes available.”

But it's the law. The law now.

However, one civil servant said: “The culture at a departmental level has got worse as a result of the Supreme Court ruling. There is still a culture of fear around speaking up about the biological nature of sex, and gender-critical women are still openly being called bigoted, Nazis and racist for their views.

“The prevailing narrative is that the Supreme Court ruling is a great injustice to trans people, with most comms focusing on supporting transgender colleagues and allies. Most people do not feel able to speak up or challenge policies, all of which remain in place despite directly contradicting the ruling.”…

Maya Forstater, chief executive of the charity Sex Matters, said: “Whitehall’s failure to follow the law is a national scandal. It should lead by example but refusing to implement the Supreme Court judgment smacks of ideological extremism.

“There has been widespread defiance across the public sector, and with even senior civil servants now flouting the judgment and the law, political leadership and intervention is urgently needed.

“The judgment could not have been clearer, and there is no excuse for delaying any change to unlawful policies. Government departments and regulators are knowingly sitting on a ticking time bomb and will only put themselves at further risk of legal action by refusing to make the necessary changes.”