DISCRIMINATION AND EQUALITY

Armstrong v The London Mathematical Society 

 

Our client, an academic at King's College London, threatened to launch legal action against the LMS for its new trans-inclusion policy, which advises that, in breach of the Equality Act, men who identify as women can use the facilities they feel most comfortable with, and members are warned against the failure to use ‘correct’ pronouns. The guidance has since been withdrawn.  CONCLUDED 

X v Girlguiding 

Originally a discrimination case brought by a mother (who wishes to remain anonymous) who claimed that the Girlguiding guidelines on inclusion of boys and men who identify as girls/women as members and volunteers was unlawful in the light of the Supreme Court decision For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16.  Girlguiding withdrew its guidelines following our pre-action protocol letter and announced that they would no longer accept biological boys as members or male leaders in female-only roles.  Girlguiding later announced that the current members and volunteers could remain until September and enjoy the summer activities.  Concerned by the safeguarding issues this represents due to the many residential camps, our client, joined by a second, is pushing Girlguiding to introduce their new rules before the summer.  To this end we have written to the Charity Commission on their behalf to ask them to intervene and, in the alternative, to grant us permission to bring proceedings against the charity.  ONGOING

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Bayswater v BBC​

 

A challenge by Bayswater Support Group, which represents over 800 parents of kids who identify as trans or non-binary, in relation to the BBC’s coverage of trans issues which it alleges is biased and does not meet statutory safeguarding standards. OFCOM has been requested to launch an independent investigation into this aspect of the BBC's coverage.  ONGOING

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X & Y v A Brighton School & Brighton & Hove City Council​​

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This is the first case to consider the lawfulness of policies regarding single sex spaces in secondary schools.  It will have national implications for the way in which schools handle their trans-identifying students and protect their female students in particular.  Our clients, who wish to remain anonymous, are bringing a judicial review claim against a school in Brighton and against Brighton & Hove City Council for its policy on use of toilets and changing rooms.  Currently the school permits, on a case-by-case basis, boys who identify as girls to use the girls’ changing rooms and toilets.  This is unlawful and the school and Council are breaching their safeguarding obligations.  We are alleging indirect discrimination against, and harassment of girls, who feel uncomfortable changing in front of biological boys.  ONGOING

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Green Women’s Declaration v The Green Party​​​

 

Ground-breaking challenge to the discriminatory policy and practice by the Green Party against long-serving members who hold gender critical views.   The Green Women Declaration was refused permission to run a ‘sex realist’ stall at the Green Party Autumn Conference and are alleging discrimination. This is against a backdrop of wider hostility including suspensions and expulsions from the Green Party of many who hold the view that biological sex is real.  ONGOING

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Flaherty v UNISON​​​

 

We are representing a UNISON member who objects to the union allowing a male who ‘identifies’ as female to stand for a position on the NEC which is reserved for females (specifically in this context, disabled females).  UNISON, which has a membership of over 80% female, has a specific policy of reserving some seats for women and low-paid members to ensure that the make-up of the NEC fairly represents the wider union.  Since the For Women Scotland decision, ‘female’ must be interpreted as ‘biological female’.  ONGOING

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Donoghue v East Riding of Yorks Local Authority​​​

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A judicial review challenge to the Local Authority by a parent for its undisclosed policy of admitting boys to Beverley High School, a girls’ comprehensive secondary school with over 800 pupils.  This policy results in the school losing its single sex status and indirectly discriminates against the girls in the school, who are required to share toilets and changing room facilities with boys.  It represents, inter alia, a breach in the safeguarding duties of the Local Authority as well as a breach of its Public Sector Equality duty.  ONGOING

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