Scottish Charity Continue Trans Exclusion

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

By Skye Morgan

In a statement released by Edinburgh Women’s Aid (EWA) on Monday 3 March 2025, they have banned transgender women and Assigned Male at Birth (AMAB) non-binary people from accessing their spaces.

The statement said: “We lawfully exclude transgender women and males who have transitioned to non-binary (including those with a GRC) in our adult groupwork services and in our shared refuge spaces, including our 24 hour refuge."

With an organisation made to support victims of domestic abuse, why are they excluding such an endangered minority?

A report conducted by LGBT Youth Scotland about domestic abuse revealed that transgender young people were more likely to experience domestic abuse than cisgender young people with 74% of transgender participants experiencing one or more forms of abuse from a partner or ex-partner compared to 40% of cisgender participants.

Excluding transgender women and AMAB non-binary people from their services isn’t the only thing that they have done.

Another statement from EWA said: “Edinburgh Women’s Aid applies Schedule 9 (Part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 to our recruitment process. This schedule allows discrimination on the basis of gender reassignment”

With the current political climate, who is to say other organisations won’t follow suit and abuse these loopholes?

We reached out to Edinburgh Women’s Aid, Scottish Trans and the Scottish Government.

A spokesperson from the Scottish Government said: “Unfortunately, we are unable to respond to requests from student journalists as a matter of policy.”

Other information provided said: “The Scottish Government expects all relevant organisations to comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

“The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the body responsible for enforcing the act. 

“It has produced specific guidance to support organisations in their compliance, such as Statutory Codes of Practice and guides, including for service providers who are looking to establish and operate a separate or single-sex service.”

Is revoking access to much needed services within the transgender community really what they need right now?

With increasing rates of mental health issues, self-harm and suicide rates within the transgender community, this choice is another setback for the transgender community. An attack on a smaller minority.

As celebrity singer-songwriter, Chappell Roan, said: “Trans people have always existed, they will forever exist, and they will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away.”