Galop urges action for trans abuse victims after Bridget Phillipson says she would not allow trans access to women's refuges

LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity Galop has called on the UK Government to take urgent action to ensure trans people fleeing violence and abuse have access to safe accommodation, following comments by Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson about access to women's refuges.

In a statement issued this week, Galop's co-chief executives Ben Kernighan and Jasmine O'Connor said trans victims and survivors had been left in a "dangerous state of limbo" following recent developments around equality law and guidance.

The intervention comes after Bridget Phillipson said in a media interview on Sunday that she would not allow trans women into women's refuges.

Responding to the comments, Kernighan and O'Connor said: "If the UK Government's position is, as the Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, said on Sunday, that trans women should not be allowed in women's refuges, then it's their job to ensure trans+ people have accommodation they can access."

The pair stressed that all victims of abuse should be able to access safe accommodation, regardless of their gender identity. "Anyone who is escaping abuse and violence deserves a safe place to go," they said.

Galop argued that the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex in the Equality Act, alongside the Equality and Human Rights Commission's updated Code of Practice, had created uncertainty for trans people seeking support services.

"The Supreme Court ruling and the EHRC's updated Code of Practice has put trans+ victims and survivors in a dangerous state of limbo with no clear guidance on what services they can turn to," the statement said.

The charity, which supports LGBTQ+ victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, hate crime and other forms of abuse, said the lack of clarity is already having real-world consequences. "Over the last year, it has been virtually impossible for our frontline services to find anywhere safe for trans+ victims and survivors to go," Kernighan and O'Connor said.

They added that this was particularly concerning given the heightened risk of violence and abuse faced by trans people. "Despite the fact that trans+ people are at particularly high risk of experiencing abuse and violence."

Galop is now calling on ministers to provide clear solutions and support for trans survivors seeking emergency accommodation. "We need direct action now from the UK Government to support trans+ people to find safe accommodation," the statement concluded.