The organisation said it had reached the ‘difficult decision’ following the Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act.
Girlguiding has announced that transgender girls will no longer be permitted to join the organisation, as it confirms its membership will be limited to “girls and young women”.
This “difficult decision” comes nearly eight months after a Supreme Court ruling stated that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological women and biological sex.
Since the April ruling, Girlguiding revealed that it had undertaken “detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members”, its council and board of trustees.
While the restriction on new membership takes effect from Tuesday, it is understood that there will not be immediate changes for current young members, with further details to be provided next week.
The changes will also impact some adult volunteer roles – specifically those designated as female roles, according to Girlguiding.
With membership ranging from ages four to 18, there are currently around 300,000 members across the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers groups within Girlguiding, along with approximately 80,000 volunteers.
The organisation stated that it does not gather gender identity information on its members, so it does not have figures for how many might be affected by the rule change.
However, it insisted that it remains “committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, particularly those from marginalised groups that have felt the biggest impact of this decision”.
A joint statement was released on Tuesday by the chairwoman of trustees at Girlguiding, Denise Wilson, its chief executive Felicity Oswald and its chief guide Tracy Foster.
They stated that the Supreme Court ruling has led to “many organisations across the country facing complex decisions about what it means for girls and women and for the wider communities affected”.
The trio announced that “Girlguiding has reached the difficult decision that going forward membership of Girlguiding will be restricted to girls and young women, as defined in the Equality Act (2010).
“From today (December 2) trans girls and young women, and others not recorded female at birth, will no longer be able to join Girlguiding as new young members.
“Girlguiding believes strongly in inclusion, and we will continue to support young people and adults in marginalised groups. Over the next few months, we will explore potential ways to champion this value. A new task force will look at ways to do this, in partnership with members.
“While Girlguiding may feel a little different going forward, our core aims and principles will always endure and we remain committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, particularly those from marginalised groups that have felt the biggest impact of this decision.”
