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By Hugh Cameron and Shane Croucher
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The largest women's organisation in Britain and the U.K.'s version of the Girl Scouts have announced they will stop accepting transgender women and girls as formal members, following a landmark gender ruling by the country's Supreme Court.
Women's Institute (W.I.) announced the change, which is set to come into effect from April 2026, on Wednesday. The chief executive of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), Melissa Green, said the decision was made with the "utmost regret and sadness.”
Girlguiding, which runs The Guide Association (formerly The Girl Guides Association), announced on Tuesday that trans girls and young women would no longer be allowed to join the organization with immediate effect. In a statement it said the decision was made "with a heavy heart."
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The U.K. Supreme Court ruled in April that the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex.
Newsweek contacted the NFWI via email for comment on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
The ruling by the U.K.'s highest court earlier this year offered legal clarity on an issue that had, for many in Britain and the U.S., become a cultural battleground.
Yet the practical implications have remained largely unclear for months. The new announcements from two leading female groups offers a glimpse of how the high court justices' decision will affect trans individuals in the U.K. Many Americans will be watching how this and other changes play out.
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What To Know
W.I., a century-old organization, said it came to the decision after a lengthy review of “long-held practice and membership policy,” with the assistance of legal advisers to ensure its continued compliance with the law.
Failing to implement the change, it added, would leave the group at risk of “costly legal challenge and potential regulatory action” from charity regulators.
Existing memberships for trans members is expected to expire in April 2026, the beginning of the new subscription year.
Like the NFWI, Girlguiding cited its desire to abide by the Supreme Court ruling and expressed regret over the decision.
“From today, 2 December, it is with a heavy heart that we are announcing trans girls and young women will no longer be able to join Girlguiding,” the statement read. “This is a decision we would have preferred not to make, and we know that this may be upsetting for members of our community.”
It added that "most adult roles" in the organization are open to all and it was "confident that no volunteers will have to leave."
What People Are Saying
NFWI CEO Melissa Green said: “To be able to continue operating as the Women’s Institute - a legally recognized women’s organization and charity - we must act in accordance with the Supreme Court’s judgment and restrict formal membership to biological women only. However, this change is only in respect to our membership policy and does not change our firm belief that transgender women are women."
Trans+ Solidarity Alliance founder Jude Guaitamacchi told Newsweek in a statement following the move: "The [U.K.] government needs to act to ensure clarity for organizations on how to remain trans-inclusive, rather than leave them at the mercy of anti-trans lawfare forcing them to betray their own values.
"Imagine being a group that has welcomed trans members for generations being told who you can and cannot associate with, regardless of the wishes of the group itself. It's cruel and a failure of this government to protect human rights, including freedom of association."
The chair of the advocacy group TransActual, Helen Belcher, said in a statement shared with Newsweek: “This is the second national charity in as many days which has been pushed to force out trans people, against the organization’s will and at great cost. If these changes must be forced on organizations, then it's clear this is the result of a handful of extremists imposing their views on groups which have been very happily trans inclusive for many years if not decades.”
“Our thoughts are with the people who may be outed by their exclusion, or lose access to their vital social groups and support networks at a time when those are more important than ever,” she added.
What Happens Next
Women's Institute said it is awaiting comprehensive guidance from Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), an independent body tasked with enforcing human rights laws, on how to apply the Supreme Court ruling in practice, but that it “must abide by the law” in the meantime.
The NFWI said that it has been seeking alternative ways “outside of formal membership” for trans women to be involved in its activities.
“In April 2026, we will be launching a national network of local WI Sisterhood groups, which will offer monthly opportunities for all people, including transgender women, to come together to socialise, learn from each other, and share their experiences of living as women,” it gave as an example.
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