Refuge’s response to the ruling

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

Refuge - describing itself as an organisation “for women and children” - have nailed their colours quickly and firmly to the mast, in an early indication of how certain organisations might respond:

In response to today’s Supreme Court ruling on gender and single-sex spaces, Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, said:
“Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court will not change the way Refuge operates. We remain firmly committed to supporting all survivors of domestic abuse, including trans women.
“Refuge offers a range of specialist services that are accessible to trans women, including our helpline, community-based support, and some accommodation-based services. These are designed to provide safety, dignity, and tailored support to meet individual needs.
“Our commitment to compassion and inclusion remains at the heart of our work, and we continue to develop and strengthen services to meet the needs of every survivor.”

Nobody objects to them offering services to trans-identified people. The question is whether the whether they will resume offering single-sex services.

No one wants them to stop supporting transwomen. Just not to force them into the women's space and claim they have to cos the Equality Act says so, regardless of the impact on and exclusion of women.

Isn't it amazing how the most important and centred women to all women's organisations turns out to be the men.

I suppose they can carry on doing what they're doing but would need to make it absolutely clear that they offer services to men as well.
A traumatised woman turning up to their "accommodation-based services" needs to know if there will be men there so she can make an informed decision.

Just be honest Refuge, it's a mixed user group service. Not a women-only service.

It's great that they will offer services which are available to trans women.

But what we want to know is whether they will also offer the same to women.

That statement is very reasonable - what it doesn’t say is whether they will continue to treat males who identify as female as actual females or whether they will ensure services are single sex.

This is the grinding years of work ahead.

The ruling will be widely flouted and those who do will be praised for it.

It’s far from over.

Just to be clear, I wholly support any organisation which offers support to victims of domestic abuse, whatever sex they are or however they identify. I think my point was that the Refuge’s tagline is somewhat at odds with its statement. Surely after yesterday’s ruling, it is now ‘for men and women and children’ if it is continuing to offer services to transwomen?

If they have the word 'woman' in anything, then that anything is for biological women. I assume that's now the case and I assume they are aware they will be subject to legal challenges if not?

They will state specific services for transwomen, which is quite right but they wont be mixing the two

Of course Transwomen would be supported if they need help.

Refuge will just no longer be able to gaslight other users that the services are female only.

What worries me is that single sex services will now disappear.

🎯

So if they allow a trans woman in then surely they will need to let any man in. So it's no longer a single sex space.

Yes, will be interesting to see how they argue it.

Absolutely right. We have many minor skirmishes ahead of us but at least the law is clear now.

As to Refuge etc all these organisations need to do is make it clear they're for anyone and to stop pretending they're only for women. That's sheer deceit.

I think a lot of these organisations have not got a very good understanding of the laws in this area. Let's hope they get advice from someone sensible and not their usual TRA pals

They've snuck in the phrase some accommodation services. I think this is key.

I predict a swift return to offering female only as part of their overall offering and pretending it has always been that way. They are breaking the law otherwise.

The statement and description don’t match.

They’d have to say mixed sex refuge or similar.

Sadly a lot of DEI 'experts' don't understand the law and are instead activists or informed/infleunced by activist. There is a lot of work to do to undo all the bad advice.

That said I have no problem with refuge offering services to trans people. What they do need to be clear on is whether all their services are now mixed sex, or if they do offer single sex services that is in line the the law.

Another thought many refuges (general, rather than the refuge charity) dont allow male children over 12/13 to stay in a refuge with their mother.

I suspect those rules will no longer hold up if refuges are now mixed sex per the Supreme Court judgement because this would be discrimination against a male child.

I think organisations like refuge need legal advice quickly.

I suspect that these bold statements have not been through their legal departments - let's see what happens when the dust settles and new advice is given to these bullish ceos.

Helpline fine. Shared refuge not fine. And they need to make it clear they offer services to women and transwomen as different entities, and what the services are for each group. The ruling doesn't mean we have to stop helping or talking about TW, just we must no longer subsume them within women.

I wonder whether this will give rise to a claim under the Equality Act from men, given that the comparator of one's sex is now that of biology.

If services are being offered to women only that's fine as it satisfies a legitimate interest, but if they are opening it up to some men but not others then all male victims of DV should be accommodated in male or mixed-sex shelters otherwise there is discrimination in the other direction.

According to the BBC the gvt, EHRC and other bodies are frantically trying to sort out what this means and give guidance - so they're anticipating significant change and need to make sure actions match law.

I have no doubt that we'll see every attempt to prevent it getting too far back into the middle line and equity with women, the bias is part of the righteousness, but equally I have no doubt that some cases will have to go to court for women to prove that they might argue the guidance means x but the law says it's y, end of.

The cat is right among the pigeons though. Panicking pigeons everywhere.

Any organisation can offer mixed sex facilities but the ruling is clear, if it states services are for women that means female only
Transwomen flock like moths to a flame with any service that is for women only. It's part of the validation. Where gender neutral spaces are created they are nor taken up
I don't believe they will want to access mixed sex spaces

Unless refuge can offer women only services that are safe, then I imagine that side of their work will end, and they can continue to serve men and the trans community as a whole, and we will have a new organisation for women and children only? I can’t see how it is viable legally and ethically as it stands given the ruling.

As long as women's services exist, for women, I am very happy for trans identified people's services to exist, for them.

This relentless pretence that trans people cannot have 'rights' without removing women's rights is ridiculous.