Over 650+ organizations urge UK government to drop draft rules on single-sex spaces, citing economic harm

More than 650 organizations, including major brands and small businesses, have urged the UK government to abandon proposed guidance on single-sex spaces, warning it would be “unworkable” and risk “significant economic harm,” as reported by the Independent.

In a joint letter sent to Bridget Phillipson, the minister for women and equalities, and business secretary Peter Kyle, companies including Ben & Jerry’s, Lush, and myGwork joined hundreds of cafés, pubs and small businesses in calling for the proposals to be scrapped.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been consulting on draft guidance following a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that found trans women are not legally women under the Equality Act 2010. The judgment was hailed as a win by gender-critical campaigners but raised fears among equality groups that it could leave trans people excluded from public life.

The draft guidance warns that if a service is provided “only to women and trans women or only to men and trans men, it is not a separate-sex or single-sex service under the Equality Act 2010.” Critics argue this framing effectively strips trans people of access to many gendered spaces.

The letter, coordinated by campaign groups Trans+ Solidarity Alliance and Safe Space UK, says: “Any final code similar to this draft would tell organizations that we must adopt practices that are incompatible with modern business values, create unworkable operational challenges, and cause significant economic harm.”

It calls on Phillipson to “take immediate action to prevent these proposals from moving forward.”

Campaigners warn that the guidance could damage the UK’s reputation as an inclusive place to live and work, undermining businesses that have committed to supporting LGBTQ+ staff and customers.