The Trans Legal Clinic condemns exclusion of Trans+ women from the Labour Women’s Conference

The Trans Legal Clinic condemns the decision to exclude Trans+ women from the main session at the Labour Women's Conference in 2026. The decision, from a party that has consistently undermined Trans+ rights and sought to erode civil liberties in the UK, further reflects Labour’s hostile attitude to the Trans+ community and its attempts to exclude and undermine Trans+ voices.

This decision comes in the same week that the Women’s Institute and Girlguiding have each announced that they will no longer welcome Trans+ women and girls as members. Both organisations have played important roles in fostering community for women and girls across the UK and have been historical champions of equality and trans inclusivity. The changes to these organisations' policies reflect the increasingly difficult environment in which spaces committed to equality are expected to operate. The Trans Legal Clinic stands in solidarity with the Trans+ women and girls who will be affected by these decisions.

Across the UK, Trans+ people and service providers are facing a growing climate of legal uncertainty. This has been shaped by shifting interpretations of equality law and escalating public hostility. The For Women Scotland judgment has intensified this, leaving many service providers unsure of how to meet their legal obligations while promoting inclusive and safe environments.

This moment is not unique, with queer people across the world historically being placed at the centre of public anxiety during periods of social and political tension. Past ambiguities in law such as the infamous Section 28 produced a culture where organisations limited participation not out of any real conviction, but from a place of pressure and uncertainty. Today, this means that our community is excluded from organisations and public participation.

It is because of the uncertainties created by the UK Supreme Court, that the Trans Legal Clinic is supporting Dr Victoria Cloud in her appeal before the European Court of Human Rights, where she is looking to reaffirm the UK’s human rights commitments and the equal treatment of Trans+ people under the law.The Trans Legal Clinic calls for the following:

• For Labour to reverse its decision to exclude Trans+ women from the main session of its women’s conference, and work with Labour for Trans Rights to ensure equality for Trans+ members both within the party’s membership and in its policy.

• For the Minister for Women and Equalities to address this legal precarity by ensuring that any Code of Practice outlines how service providers can include Trans+ people in accordance with their lived gender. Organisations deserve clear and proportionate guidance that supports inclusivity, rather than creating confusion.

• For organisations such as Women's Institute and Girlguiding to work with the Trans Legal Clinic and the wider community to fight against both the rollback of Trans+ peoples’ participation in public life and the pressure placed on spaces operating inclusively.

Olivia Campbell-Cavendish, founder and director of the Trans Legal Clinic, said: “Trans+ women and girls deserve to take part fully and openly in the political, social, and community spaces that shape our lives. Decisions to exclude the Trans+ community do real harm and send a dangerous message about who is considered worthy of belonging. Labour’s continued willingness to sideline Trans+ voices erodes our rights and emboldens the anti-trans extremists who seek to exclude us from public life altogether. The Trans Legal Clinic stands in solidarity with all Trans+ people whose lives and freedoms are affected by the For Women Scotland ruling. Our community will not be pushed out of public life - we will continue to speak, to organise, and to demand the rights and respect every person is entitled to.”