The organisation confirmed the decision would be enforced in Scotland

Trans women and girls will be banned from joining the Girl Guides, it has been confirmed. 

On Tuesday, Girlguiding UK announced those “not recorded female at birth” will no longer be able to join as new young members.

The decision, taken at a UK level, will be enforced in Scotland, Girlguiding Scotland confirmed to TFN on Friday. 

The charity said April’s Supreme Court decision meant organisations had been facing “complex decisions about what it means for girls and women and for the wider communities affected”. 

This ruling said sex meant biological sex in equality law, with the Times reporting last month the charity faced legal action from a parent who claimed the organisation’s policy “exposes girls to harassment”.

In a joint statement published this week, Denise Wilson, Girlguiding’s chair of trustees, CEO Felicity Oswald and chief guide Tracy Foster said: “Following detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members and Girlguiding’s Council, the Board of Trustees for Girlguiding has reached the difficult decision that going forward membership of Girlguiding will be restricted to girls and young women, as defined in the Equality Act (2010). From today (December 2) trans girls and young women, and others not recorded female at birth, will no longer be able to join Girlguiding as new young members. There will be no immediate changes for current young members, but more information will be shared next week.

“Girlguiding believes strongly in inclusion, and we will continue to support young people and adults in marginalised groups. Over the next few months, we will explore potential ways to champion this value. A new taskforce will look at ways to do this, in partnership with members.

“While Girlguiding may feel a little different going forward, these core aims and principles will always endure and we remain committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, particularly those from marginalised groups that have felt the biggest impact of this decision.”

The decision has faced significant backlash from those involved in the organisation, as well as LGBT+ groups and legal charities. 

Campaigners Transparent Action UK - a group of parents with trans children, said the decision was devastating for young people. 

They wrote: “We know Girlguiding has worked for years to include trans girls and to offer them the same opportunities as their peers. It is clear now that they are facing intense external pressure and threats of litigation. Even so, the outcome is devastating and distressing, and the impact on individual trans children will be real and immediate.

“For a trans girl who simply wants to join Rainbows, Brownies or Guides with her friends, this will feel like a door closing. Moments like this shape confidence, friendships and a child’s sense of belonging. At a time when young people are already struggling, exclusion only adds to the harm.

“Girlguiding has always been a space for building confidence, learning new skills and meeting people from different backgrounds. Taking that away from a group of children who already face higher levels of exclusion is the opposite of what our communities need.”

The decision comes as another UK charity took a similar decision to stop admitting trans women as members. 

This week the Women’s Institute also said it will no longer accept transgender women as members, with the decision to be enforced from April. 

The organisation wrote that it can no longer legally offer formal membership to transgender women in light of this judgment, adding: “We will bring forward programmes to continue to extend fellowship, sisterhood, and support to transgender women.

“As an organisation that has proudly welcomed transgender women into our membership for more than 40 years, this is not something we would do unless we felt that we had no other choice.

“To be able to continue operating as the Women’s Institute - a legally recognised women’s organisation and charity - we must act in accordance with the Supreme Court’s judgment and restrict formal membership to biological women only. However, this change is only in respect to our membership policy and does not change our firm belief that transgender women are women.”

Legal charity the Good Law Project (GLP) said organisations can and should remain inclusive despite April’s Supreme Court ruling, and in the face of legal threats. 

Lawyers from GLP are offering support to those affected, adding that they believe “a change in policy to exclude trans members may well be unlawful”. 

The group’s trans rights lead, Jess O’Thomson, said: “The only way to stop bullies is to stand up to them. 

“Anti-trans campaigners have been going around making legal threats, trying to force trans people out of public life. They thought after the Supreme Court decision in April that the whole world would suddenly agree with them. But they have misunderstood the law, as well as human nature.

“The reality is that lots of people still want to be trans inclusive, and we think the law is on their side. We want to support inclusive organisations who are being threatened, alongside the trans people who are now finding themselves excluded.”