The Supreme Court Judgment on FWS vs Scottish Minister’s, which redefined the terms ‘man’, ‘woman’, and ‘sex’ as they’re interpreted in the 2010 Equality Act, has already had a significant impact on trans communities across the UK.
While the implications of this judgment in Northern Ireland is more complex due to our different equality legislation and post-Brexit rights protections, we know that there will be impacts and experiences we haven’t heard about, and we want to ensure that our legal and policy work reflects the lived realities of trans people across NI.Â
To that end, the Rainbow Project and HereNI are seeking evidence and direct experience from trans and LGBTQIA+ people in Northern Ireland on the impact this judgment has had on them since it was passed in April.
While we know it has had an impact across the community, particularly on people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing, we’re particularly keen to hear of any direct impact on people’s access to goods, services, and facilities on a gendered basis, including things like toilets, changing facilities, council services such as swimming pools or leisure centres.Â
Whether you are trans, non-binary, intersex, or even if you aren’t trans but have been impacted because you are in some way gender diverse/gender non-conforming, we want to hear your experience.Â
We’re also keen to hear from trans workers about how this has impacted them, again regarding access to gendered facilities or spaces within their workplace.Â
If you’ve experienced additional barriers to accessing services and facilities, or been outright denied access, please share your experiences below. Any experiences or information shared will be anonymised fully if being used in our work, and we may contact you for further information if appropriate.Â