Hundreds of firms warn new guidance on single sex spaces is ‘unworkable’ and would cause ‘significant economic harm’
I and Jerry’s, Lush and hundreds of small cafes and pubs, such as more than 650 organizations, Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Single Sex Areas of the guidance of the draft guidance is “useless ve and“ significant economic damage to warn. Independent understands.
Guidance was prepared after the Supreme Court decided that trans women’s trans women were not legally women within the scope of the Equality Law (2010); However, there are concerns that the decision and the draft guidance of EHRC can exclude transsexual people from public life.
The draft guidance sent for consultation throughout the summer warns that “if provided for women and transfers women or only men and transfers only, there is no separate gender or uniform service under the 2010 Equality Law”.
The letter sent to Female and Equality Minister Bridget Phillipson and business secretary Peter Kyle warns that the final guidance “similar to this draft” will tell organizations that they should “adopt incompatible practices with modern business values”.
Ms. Phillipson calls to “take action immediately to prevent the progress of these offers”.
After a consultation during the summer, EHRC shared the updated application code for relations with the Minister of Services, Public Functions and Equality. In theory, however, Mrs. Phillipson may reject the draft and ask EHRC to prepare it again.
It comes after telling sources Times He will tell schools, hospitals, leisure centers and cinemas for the ultimate guidance forbids them to use them to use single gender fields such as sinks and dressing rooms.
Ben & Jerry’s, Lush, Lucy & Yak, and more than 650 organizations such as hundreds of small cafes and pubs and pubs, says: “We are writing to implement unwanted businesses and organizations, to express our suggestions that want to be excluded from gender areas and services.
The suggestions made in the draft law in accordance with EHRC’s Equality Law will have serious and extensive consequences for our UK enterprises, employees and customers.
“Any final code similar to this draft, we must adopt non -compliance practices with modern business values, create useless operational difficulties and cause significant economic damages.”
“Many of us have built inclusive environments where all customers and personnel are safe and welcome for years. These suggestions will tell us to act directly with these commitments; to weaken confidence, to damage their reputation and to risk the loss of valuable personnel and customers.”
They also express their concerns that the proposals will put them on the risk of “complaints and lawsuits in more than one way ve and forcing“ business personnel to be unacceptable to the unacceptable role of ‘gender police’.
“Such practices are not only deeply invasive, but also impossible to apply without violating Article 8 of the Human Rights Law, which protects the rights of confidentiality and faces the risk of discrimination against valuable transfers and colleagues.
Organizations have expressed the concern that compliance with guidance for many businesses will mean cost -effective changes in facilities such as strengthening areas or transforming them into gender -independent areas.
“For small and medium -sized enterprises, this financial burden may be serious and will threaten economic applicability for some. These adaptation costs will have a significant impact on businesses throughout the country, where many may be bad.”
Alex Whitcroft, Director of Housing Developer Kin Independent: “An incredibly frustrating personnel who use the office area shared for a small construction sector business like us and visit sites with gender facilities.
“We do not want to force trans exclusion to the personnel or customers we work with. [small businesses] Like us and stop carrying us important executive cost and risk. “
“We do not desire to implement this, and we hope that the government will talk and defend the small businesses on this issue,” they added.
Meanwhile, Beauty Brand Lush Campaigns Manager Andrew Butler Independent The company will make transfer policies to ır resist to resist everything in our strength ”.
“We have repeatedly seen that the fear of the marginal groups of marginal groups has created nothing but the fear and violence of stores.
Jude Guaitamacchi, the founder of the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, said, “EHRC’s suggestions are not right for trans people, they are not right for work, and they do not protect anyone. The government needs to hear this message from the unjust, unreasonable and unable to make a wrong error that makes the British economy difficult.
“Approved a code like EHRC’s draft will define the legacy of the Labor Party on LGBT+ rights, return the clock and make us an international contrary. Even the worst US states for trans people do not restrict the inclusiveness of private enterprises and associations.”
At the beginning of this month, EHRC President Barones Kishwer Falkner said that it would be “difficult” to adapt service providers to the legal definition of a woman to the legal definition of a woman.
BBC Radio told 4s Today Program: “I think it would be difficult to adapt a very black and white decision to practical steps according to their own conditions and their organizations, so we emphasized that they should always take their own advice and comply with our code.”
A government spokesman said: “EHRC presented the draft updated application rules for services, public functions and associations to the Minister of Women and Equality.
“The government will handle the draft updated code and the minister will put it in Parliament if he approves.”
A spokesman from the Commission of Equality and Human Rights said: “The Supreme Court clarified the law in April 2025 and made it clear that the ‘gender’ in the equality law means biological gender. As the UK’s equality regulator, it is our duty to interpret and explain the law in order to follow this.
“After carefully evaluated the answers given to our consultation on the draft application code, we have combined the changes in the proposed and consistent guidance. Our application rules are designed to make general advice on how to follow the law. Since we cannot provide a customary guidance for each service, the provider, according to the law, according to the laws, according to the law, the expert, the expert, the expert, the expert. In search of experts, experts are looking for experts.
He continued: “It is always clear that services should be provided to protect the rights of all service users and that they should be provided with respect and dignity while consistent with the laws. We are determined to protect and protect the rights of each individual in EHRC.”
