Overview
- Hundreds gathered outside Girlguiding’s London headquarters and about 100 rallied in Edinburgh in demonstrations organised by Guiders Against Trans Exclusion.
- Girlguiding announced on 2 December that trans girls can no longer join Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, or Rangers, reversing its inclusive policy from 2017.
- The charity says the change follows detailed legal advice and the Supreme Court’s interpretation of sex in the Equality Act, and it states the move was not made for safeguarding reasons.
- Backlash includes petitions, the resignation of ambassador Ashley James, some leaders pledging not to enforce the ban, and reports of cancelled events and parents withdrawing children.
- Girlguiding acknowledges it does not hold data on trans members, and a father at the Edinburgh protest said his six-year-old began self-harming after being told she could not attend Rainbows.