The UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has rejected claims made by transgender rights advocates that its updated code of practice undermines trans individuals’ rights, stating that such criticisms are based on misinformation. The commission’s chair, Mary-Ann Stephenson, emphasized that the guidance does not remove legal protections for transgender people nor does it introduce sex verification checks.

The EHRC’s revised code, which took effect in August 2026, follows a 2025 Supreme Court ruling that defined “sex” under the Equality Act as biological rather than self-identified gender. As a result, access to single-sex spaces—such as restrooms, changing rooms, hospital wards, and refuges—must be based on an individual’s birth sex.

Stephenson acknowledged the tensions between safeguarding women’s access to single-sex spaces and respecting transgender individuals’ rights, saying both concerns should be taken seriously. “Recognizing women’s need for access to single-sex services doesn’t require us to dismiss the rights of trans people,” she said, adding that “recognizing the vulnerability of trans people doesn’t require us to dismiss women’s concerns.”

Despite these assurances, the code has faced opposition from various groups. The Liberal Democrats recently passed a party conference motion labeling the code as discriminatory and unworkable. At the Labour Party conference, Joanne Thomas, general secretary of the Usdaw union and chairwoman of Labour Unions, argued that the EHRC guidance and current law would roll back protections for trans and non-binary people.

Several advocacy organizations have voiced strong criticism of the code. The Good Law Project characterized the guidance as discriminatory and warned that service providers complying with it would effectively strip away trans rights. TransActual, a transgender rights group, described the updated code as a “bathroom ban” and a significant rollback of human rights. Additionally, a motion passed at the recent Trades Union Congress (TUC) condemned the code as an attack on LGBT+ equality, stating it excludes trans people from many public spaces.

Stephenson disputed claims that the guidance bans trans people from public spaces or requires invasive sex checks at facilities, calling such assertions inaccurate and misleading. Meanwhile, some local councils governed by the Green Party have expressed intentions to resist implementing the code, whereas the Conservative Party has pledged to ensure councils comply with the EHRC’s guidance.

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions in the UK over balancing protections for women in single-sex spaces with the rights and recognition of transgender individuals amid evolving legal standards.