Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

UK minister mulling law change to define sex as ‘biological’

UK minister mulling law change to define sex as ‘biological’

Kemi Badenoch told definition change could provide ‘greater legal clarity.’
Britain's equalities minister is mulling a change to the law that would only allow women access to some same-sex spaces and sporting arenas on the basis of so-called "biological" grounds.

Kemi Badenoch has been told that defining someone's sex as "biological" could provide "greater legal clarity" on issues such as who accesses women-only hospital wards, and who can participate in certain sporting events.

But it would also be "more ambiguous or potentially disadvantageous" in areas such as equal pay and sex discrimination.

The advice came in a letter from Kishwer Falkner, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Badenoch wrote to the commission in February requesting guidance on the "benefits or otherwise" of amending the definition of sex in the existing Equality Act.

Falkner notes that under the Gender Recognition Act of 2004, "a person with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) becomes the acquired gender ‘for all purposes’ and recognised as their legal sex, broadly equivalent to the way sex recorded at birth is recognised in law for other people."

But she argues this may result in some legal uncertainties.

Under current laws, Falkner wrote, providers of women-only services such as hospital wards have to "conduct a careful balancing exercise to justify excluding all trans women."

"A biological definition of sex would make it simpler to make a women’s-only ward a space for biological women," she said.

Transgender rights advocates and many experts argue, however, that strict definitions of sex based on anatomy at birth can miss biological nuances.

In sports, organizers currently have to show that excluding transgender women is necessary "in the interests of fairness or safety." Defining sex as "biological" would remove that "additional burden," Falkner said.

But "detailed policy and legal analysis" should be undertaken if the government wanted to pursue a change, Falkner warned.

The Scottish parliament earlier this year passed a bill that seeks to make it easier for people to legally change their gender, prompting the U.K. government to claim it goes against the U.K.-wide Equality Act.

LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall told PinkNews the EHRC’s response “fails to recognise that the Equality Act 2010 has successfully supported businesses and service providers to challenge discrimination.”

“We would expect the EHRC to make further reference to some of the challenges defining ‘biological’ sex, how these measures would interact with the Equality Act’s protection for people who are ‘percieved’ to hold protected characteristics.

“This move risks opening yet another chapter in a manufactured culture war that will see little benefit to women — cis and trans alike.”

A U.K. government spokesman said: “We are committed to protecting women’s rights and the Minister for Women and Equalities regularly seeks advice from the independent equality regulator as part of her role." The advice would be considered "in the usual way,” they said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
×