Several esteemed mental health charities in the UK have signed an open letter to ministers warning that new rules about access to single-sex spaces could “pose significant risk to the mental health of trans and non-binary people across the UK”.

In April 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of ‘woman’ under the Equality Act 2010 does not include trans women who hold gender recognition certificates (GRCs). The decision caused widespread outrage both in the UK and abroad, with activists condemning the court’s decision and highlighting its real-life repercussions on trans women.

The ruling has excluded trans people from the legal protection of sex-based discrimination, a shift with profound consequences for daily life. In more recent developments, some women’s organisations announced that they had been forced to exclude trans members.

Following the ruling, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published interim guidance which stated that trans women could be excluded from women’s facilities. It also stated that in some cases, trans women may be prohibited from using men’s spaces and trans men may be prohibited from using women’s facilities. The interim guidance was later removed following a legal challenge.

UK ministers are now expected to approve official guidance on how public bodies, businesses and other service providers should apply the Supreme Court ruling. This set of rules is expected to closely reflect the interim guidance. A version leaked to the Times suggested that people might be excluded from using single-sex facilities “based on how they look, their behaviour or concerns raised by others”.

15 of the UK’s leading mental health organisations, including Samaritans, Mind, Centre for Mental Health and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, have expressed “deep concern” about the new guidance on single-sex spaces. In a letter addressed to the ministers, the charities stated that the new rules could “deepen existing inequalities and pose significant risk to the mental health of trans and non-binary people across the UK”.

The letter further reads: “Mental health services should be places of refuge, not risk, and equality protections must strengthen, not erode, the conditions that enable people to feel safe and supported.”

The organisations also expressed concerns in regard to spaces such as inpatient wards, as well as community-based and crisis services. “Living in fear of abuse, discrimination or humiliation is a major risk factor for poor mental health, and trans and non-binary people already experience some of the highest rates of mental ill health in the UK, driven by stigma, exclusion and barriers to affirming care,” they stated.

GCN’s wonderful Christmas Raffle is back! To be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes while also supporting GCN, buy a raffle ticket from as little as €5 at this link.