A police force that told women to share toilets with trans officers has been forced to U-turn after being threatened with legal action from a gender-critical campaign group.
Gwent Police was accused of breaching new equality guidance after saying “trans members of staff are entitled to use the facilities of the gender in which they present”.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) updated code of practice makes it clear that transgender people should be offered a gender-neutral space.
It follows a Supreme Court ruling last year that the definition of a woman under the Equality Act should be based on biological sex.
Following Freedom of Information Act requests, it was revealed many forces were changing their policies in line with with the guidance.
However, Gwent Police had previously insisted: “Trans members of staff are entitled to use the facilities of the gender in which they present.
“This will be the case from the first day that they present in that gender.
“It is not acceptable to insist that a member of staff transitioning at work should use separate facilities, for example the nominated accessible toilet, unless they so wish.”
Now, the force has confirmed it would be scrapping its Transitioning in the Workplace policy which said toilets, changing rooms and showers for both officers and members of the public are not segregated on the basis of biological sex.
A spokesman told the Daily Mail: “We are committed to an inclusive workplace where everyone feels safe, respected and able to be themselves.
“We understand the impact that this has on our workforce and communities and as such we are being proactive in ensuring our estates and working environments are inclusive and safe for all to use.
“Our Trans Inclusion Policy has been reviewed in light of recent Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance on public spaces and we await further guidance on workplaces.
“A revised policy is currently out for consultation with our staff networks and will be published following this process.”
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Reacting to the news, Director and National Policing lead with the Women’s Rights Network Cathy Larkman said: “We are very glad that Gwent police have now withdrawn their unlawful policy.
“However, it is deeply concerning that it took the threat of legal action by a grassroots women’s rights group to ensure that they respected the legal right of their brave female officers to safe and private single-sex showers, changing rooms and toilets, free from the presence of men.
“It is totally unacceptable that they are dragging their feet on what their new policy will be, insisting that they will only decide on this after consulting with staff networks.
“There doesn’t need to be a consultation, they just need to comply with the law. This is not hard to understand. It beggars belief that a police force has to be prompted not to break the law.”
Ms Larkman continued: “How can women trust a police force like Gwent when they claim to take their safety, and violence against women and girls seriously, when they don’t respect the legal rights of their own female officers and staff?
“This is an abject failure of police leadership and a betrayal of precious public trust.”
Last month, Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson said councils and other service providers must ensure they are “compliant with the law” after suggestions some might resist new guidance on single-sex spaces.
Ms Phillipson said the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) code, which came into force last week, has “given greater clarity” to service providers on their responsibilities in this area.
However councillors in the south London borough of Lambeth passed a motion last month, agreeing to “proceed with non-implementation” of the guidance, “should officers advise that this is a lawful option”.
Its leader Martin Abrams and deputy leader Natalie Kane signed an open letter to Ms Phillipson on the day the code came into force.
Joined by the leaders from five other London borough councils, Hackney, Haringey, Lewisham, Southwark and Waltham Forest, they wrote that “trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are fundamentally valid”.
They added: “It is simply unacceptable that the Code of Practice is harmful to the rights of trans people and will make their exclusion from public life more likely, not less.”
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