The government launched a consultation on 3 July seeking the nation’s views on how best to reform the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) 2004 and the process of changing one’s legal gender.
During the launch and in the time leading up to it, the government was keen to note that, due to the Equalities Act which they have no plans to change, men who say they are women will not automatically have the right to enter female-only spaces such as toilets and changing rooms. However, as commentators noted, this means nothing if someone presents themselves as female but are in fact male. Women and young girls have already experienced sharing changing spaces with men who are pre-surgery males (therefore still having a penis) who claim to be female.
Currently, providers may exclude trans people from facilities of the sex they identify with, providing it is a proportionate means of meeting a legitimate aim. However, in practice, men use female changing spaces and swimming sessions.
