On 5 August, statutory guidance on single-sex services came into force across England, Scotland and Wales. It is guidance that hardly deserves the name, confusing people far more than it actually guides.
Many in the trans+ community and among its allies have described the guidance as unworkable. Our story of the week highlights the voice of one trans woman's fears about what it will mean for her.
I am deeply convinced that fighting the guidance alone will not bring the relief so many trans+ people are seeking. The root problem is an outdated Equality Act, one that needs reforming and rebalancing. That is the only route to change the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling and to build a safer foundation for LGBTQ+ communities. As a community, we should now invest our time and energy in legislative change, and in reversing a worsening trend for LGBTQ+ equality in the UK.
The guidance takes effect just weeks after a harrowing terrorist attack at Berlin Pride on 25 July, which injured 29 people and killed one. I was there. I missed the attack by about 20 minutes, spared only because my friends decided to have one more walkabout and enjoy the warm summer night before heading home.
We did not realise what had happened until quite late. Anyone who has been to Berlin Pride knows how vast the area and the Tiergarten are. As we finally made our way home, I noticed an unusual number of blue lights, and then police storming the area, telling people to go straight home. We walked past the car that had been used to carry out the attack. In that moment, we had no idea what had happened, or that we had just passed the vehicle that injured so many people and took a life.
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