Liz Truss said the government “has no interest” in banning transgender people from using spaces that align with their gender identity.
In a letter sent to Baroness Kishwer Falkner, head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Minister for Women and Equalities stated that the government would not accept guidance that changed allowing trans people to use the single-sex spaces that they feel most comfortable in.
In the letter, which was sent on 18 February and shared exclusively by the i, Truss said: “The Equality Act makes it clear that providers have the right to restrict use of spaces on the basis of sex as currently takes place.
“The Government has no interest in changing the current situation where transgender people are able to use facilities of their chosen gender.
“I very much support your attempts to correct the record and know that you will be seeking to engage and reassure LGBT groups on these issues privately too.”
The Foreign Secretary claimed that her government and the equality body in question are “fully committed to ensuring that all people, including transgender people, are free to live and prosper in modern Britain.”
The EHRC is currently creating guidance on single-sex spaces, prompting the letter from Truss.
In recent months, the human rights watchdog has been facing increasing scrutiny for what Stonewall has called an “anti-trans stance”.
It made headlines in January for suggesting a “differentiated approach” to a trans ‘conversion therapy’ ban and also called on Scotland to pause its gender recognition reforms in what some have called an “attack on trans equality”.
This, among other things, has resulted in LGBTQ+ activists questioning whether or not the EHRC is “truly fit for purpose” and ignited debate on how independent it is from the ruling Conservative Party.
“I also know that you share my concern about the worry that recent reporting has created, and that you have been seeking to correct this,” Truss also said in her letter.
According to the aforementioned outlet, a source close to the Member of Parliament stated: “Liz has been clear that the Equality Act allows transgender people to use facilities in their chosen gender, and that the government has no intention of changing that.
“However, service providers have been crying out for clarity on when, or if, they can use the exemptions in the Act.
“We are yet to see the EHRC’s proposed guidance, but we look forward to considering it when appropriate.”
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