Girlguiding group tells trans girls they must leave organisation by September
Girlguiding instructed its members to leave the organization for trans girls in early September.
The directive followed an announcement in December 2025 that trans girls could no longer be members as the group confirmed it was limiting its membership to “girls and young women”.
The decision, described by Girlguiding at the time as a “difficult decision”, came almost eight months after the Supreme Court’s April 2025 ruling stating that the words “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 referred to a biological woman and biological sex.
Girlguiding said it had received “detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, junior members”, the council and trustees since this decision.
In an update on Tuesday, the organization said transgender girls who become members can stay until September 6.
She added that any trans girl or trans woman currently volunteering in a women-only role will be required to move to a position open to men or women by that date.
Campaign group Trans+ Solidarity Alliance described the news as “heartbreaking” for the children.
They said: “Inclusive organizations being forced to exclude people against their will is a profound failure of this government to deliver on its promises to the trans community.
“This news will be heartbreaking for the children and volunteer leaders who hold Girlguiding together to solve a problem that would not exist without anti-trans laws.”
Girlguiding said in a statement that the period between now and September 6 “gives affected members and their families time to plan, prepare, access support, and decide when between now and September they feel ready to leave.”
In December, hundreds of Girlguiding volunteers threatened to leave the organization if the ban on trans girls was not lifted.
Volunteers feel they were not consulted about the decision and that it conflicts with the organisation’s core values.
Amanda Jane Heather, who is leading the petition which has collected more than 430 signatures as of Tuesday, previously said: “We cannot in good conscience support a policy that contradicts established conservation research, the lived experiences of our members and the overarching values we have been trained to deliver.
“Volunteers are taking this step not just out of frustration, but out of deep concern.”
Girlguiding members can range in age from four to 18 and there are currently around 300,000 people in the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers groups, as well as around 80,000 volunteers.
The organization has previously stated that it does not collect gender identity information of its members and therefore does not have figures on how many people may be affected by the rule change.
