Women’s Institute to End Trans Women’s Membership from April After Supreme Court Ruling

The Women’s Institute (WI), one of Britain’s most recognisable and historic membership organisations for women, will no longer accept transgender women from April next year. The policy shift marks a dramatic change for the 110-year-old institution which has, for decades, welcomed trans women into its local branches across the UK.

The decision follows a landmark April ruling from the UK Supreme Court, which determined that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act must be interpreted as referring solely to biological sex. The implications of that judgment continue to ripple across UK organisations and public life—placing the WI amongst the most high-profile groups forced to reconsider long-standing inclusion policies.

Melissa Green, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, described the decision as one made with “the utmost regret and sadness”. Despite the significant change, she emphasised that the organisation’s values had not shifted.

“Incredibly sadly, we will have to restrict our membership on the basis of biological sex from April next year,” she said. “But the message we really want to get across is that it remains our firm belief that transgender women are women, and that doesn’t change.”

Under the new rules, anyone seeking to join—or renew—a WI membership must confirm they were registered female at birth. The WI has confirmed that all trans women currently known to its leadership have already been contacted about the change.

The organisation, which has more than 175,000 members across 5,000 independent local WI groups, acknowledged that it does not know exactly how many individuals will be affected by the exclusion. However, Green said the WI has “a large transgender population.”

End of a Long-Standing Inclusive Tradition

The WI has officially allowed transgender women to join since 2015, though in practice trans women have participated in local chapters since the 1970s. Just last year, the WI leadership stated that inclusive policies were “fundamental” and that transgender women enriched the organisation.

That stance has now collided with a profoundly altered legal landscape.

The Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, which redefined legal terminology around sex and gender under the Equality Act, has created significant uncertainty. The ruling has led multiple organisations—especially those with women-only membership rules—to seek urgent legal advice.

The WI maintains that it is not acting out of choice, but legal obligation.

“This is not something we would do unless we felt that we had no other choice,” the organisation said in a statement that will be distributed to members.

Green confirmed that the decision followed extensive legal consultation and was ultimately ratified by the WI’s 138-person council and board.

Wider Implications: Girlguiding Moves First

The WI announcement came just 24 hours after Girlguiding issued a similar update. The youth organisation said it will bar trans girls and any young person “not recorded female at birth” from joining as new members.

A Girlguiding spokesperson said that legal advice left them with no viable alternative following the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Equality Act.

While supporters of sex-based membership restrictions argue such decisions protect women-only spaces and comply with the law, LGBTQ+ groups say organisations are over-interpreting the court’s decision and narrowing inclusion further than legally required.

Labour MP Rachel Taylor, who sits on the Women and Equalities Committee, criticised the policy shifts as excessive.

“The draft EHRC guidance goes far beyond what the Supreme Court ruled,” Taylor said. “It’s not fair, it’s not necessary and it does nothing to advance the rights of women and trans people.”

The government is currently reviewing guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on how to apply the Supreme Court’s ruling, a process expected to extend well into next year.

Mixed Reaction Inside and Outside the WI

The WI’s decision is expected to generate deep divisions—both publicly and within its own membership.

Green said she knows the announcement would bring “anger, sadness and disappointment” for many. She also recognised that some members will support the shift.

She added that she had removed herself from social media to avoid being pulled into the “toxicity” of the debate.

“Our role is to draw ourselves back out of it and work through this in a more reasonable, respectful way,” she said.

The emotional toll on trans women who have long found solace in WI communities was a focal point for leadership.

Green recounted conversations with affected members, including an 80-year-old woman who had been part of the WI for decades.

“She said it was one of the greatest experiences of her life, and the only place in her 80 years where she’s been treated as a woman with respect.”

Such stories highlight what advocates argue will be an irreplaceable loss.

Jude Guaitamacchi, founder of the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, condemned the government for what they describe as forcing organisations into exclusion they don’t want.

“Imagine being a group that has welcomed trans members for generations being told who you can and cannot associate with,” Guaitamacchi said. “It’s cruel and a failure of this government to protect human rights.”

Sisterhood Groups: A Compromise, or a New Flash Point?

While formal WI membership will be limited to biological women, the organisation is planning what it says will be a continued pathway for inclusion.

From April, the WI will launch new “sisterhood groups” that will be open to anyone—including trans women.

These parallel groups aim to preserve the WI’s relationships with trans members and maintain community spaces where gender identity is affirmed.

“Our desire is to continue to maintain those friendships and that support,” Green said. “We stand with them.”

However, she acknowledged that the groups could become points of tension or even conflict.

Ensuring sisterhood groups remain “safe spaces” and do not deepen divisions will be the organisation’s responsibility, she said. WI leadership hopes these new groups can foster dialogue rather than separation.

“One of the really important things for us is to try and help ourselves as an organisation—and society more generally—to find a way to work through some of these discussions, to have differing views, to disagree better.”

Legal Pressure: More Threat Perceived Than Real?

Some speculated that the WI had been facing direct legal threats from anti-trans campaigners.

Green dismissed the scale of contact received, stating the WI received fewer than 100 communications about the issue—many likely from outside the organisation and from repeat senders.

However, she confirmed that some messages referenced potential legal challenge.

Given the WI’s charitable status and national presence, legal exposure may have appeared a significant risk to the governing board. Internal lawyers advised that policies aligned to the Supreme Court’s interpretation were necessary to avoid violations of equality law.

Green emphasised that the WI is used to navigating difficult societal change and will prioritize unity.

“Over 110 years, we’ve demonstrated that in the face of change our members rise to the challenge.”

The Broader Cultural Fault Line

The WI’s decision underscores how legal language can shift the real-world boundaries of inclusion.

While court rulings determine law, they do not settle cultural interpretation or community identity. The fallout is being felt most acutely in spaces where womanhood is not only a legal category, but a foundation of belonging.

Organisations like the WI were historically created to bring women together to share community, education, campaigning, and solidarity. For many trans women, the WI offered one of the rare environments where they felt recognised, affirmed, and safe.

The fear among trans advocates is that exclusion from even non-governmental women’s spaces will further isolate trans individuals, driving wedges in communities that once worked together.

The conflict reveals the widening gap between legal classification and lived identity.

Looking Ahead

The WI leadership believes that time, dialogue, and compassion will ensure the organisation can continue to evolve while adhering to the law.

Green expressed hope that the trans community would not interpret the organisation’s legal compliance as abandonment.

“My hope is that the message the transgender community gets from this is not one of betrayal, but one of our desire to continue to maintain those friendships and that support.”

She added that she hopes emotions will settle enough that former members consider joining the new sisterhood groups.

As the WI prepares to formally brief its members, the outcome of this decision is far from settled. Whether unity can be preserved through alternative structures remains to be seen.

For now, the WI remains committed to serving women—while struggling to define, publicly and legally, who that means.

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