Trans group installs ‘third-space’ toilet outside Supreme Court

The trans advocacy group TransActual UK has introduced a striking installation outside the UK Supreme Court: a “Third Toilet” created by BBH London, calling for urgent answers and protection for trans people's rights following a contentious court ruling.

Central to the campaign is the bold question: Where should trans people go?

In April, the UK Supreme Court decided that the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 is based on biological sex. This decision could significantly affect access to single-sex spaces and services, including public restrooms.

The “Third Toilet” is a direct challenge to comments from Baroness Kishwer Falkner, head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who recommended that trans rights groups advocate for a separate “third space.”

Positioned prominently outside the UK’s highest court, as ‘Creative Salon’ reports, the toilet highlights the exposure, isolation, and risks trans individuals face when excluded from public spaces and legal recognition. It questions the notion that safety and dignity can be seen as optional.

This installation seeks to pressure policymakers to offer clarity and protection, especially since many trans individuals are left questioning not only where they can use the restroom but also how to access safe spaces in education, healthcare, work, and broader society.

Hafsa Qureshi, a Director of TransActual UK, stated: “The Supreme Court claimed it brought clarity to an area of difficulty. However, it did the exact opposite while also diminishing the rights or status of trans people in the UK. The impact on the trans community, to date, has been devastating.”

“This campaign is a powerful statement – about being forced to exist without safety, privacy, and rights, in full view of a society that refuses to see us; a demand for legal clarity, human dignity, and real, lived safety for all trans people; and an attempt to put pressure on public policymakers to ensure they are answering questions and, ultimately, are held to account.”

Olivia Campbell Cavendish, Founder & Executive Director of the Trans Legal Clinic, expressed while sitting on the Third Toilet outside the Supreme Court: “We need to move the conversation on from ridiculous things like bathrooms and onto the things that matter. And that is the safety of trans people everyhere.”

Camila Gurgel and Ieva Paulina, Associate Creative Directors at BBH, added: “We can’t call it a victory when so much has been lost. The trans community was left out of a decision that directly impacted their lives. So we set out to create something that will help their voices be heard and their demands recognized.”

“Our hope is that the Third Toilet installation sparks awareness, conversation, solidarity and inspires more people to stand with the trans community.”

The activation was captured by photographer Rhiannon Adam, known for her compelling images that feel both natural and authentic, often focusing on complex narratives related to climate change, social injustice, outsider communities, and power abuse.