A domestic abuse charity in Edinburgh, Scotland has announced it will no longer allow trans women and non-binary people to access its services.
Edinburgh Women’s Aid has announced that while it recognised people hold “differing views” on sex and gender, it decided as an organisation to set out “specific positions” with regards to its services.
According to a statement available as a link at the bottom of their women’s support services page, titled EWA Policy Statement on the provision of single sex services, trans women and non-binary people will no longer be able to access the charity’s adult group support services or its shared refuge spaces, even if they hold a gender recognition certificate (GRC).
It also announced it will also no longer hire trans women or non-binary people, including those with a GRC.
Citing exceptions to the Equality Act 2010 which allows them to make the changes, the statement reads: “In terms of our service provision, Edinburgh Women’s Aid applies schedule 3 (Part 7) of the Equality Act 2010, which contains a number of exceptions to the general provisions on non-discrimination, including that a trans person can be excluded from single sex services when it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
“Therefore, 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-hr refuge.”
It added that it would apply “Schedule 9 (Part 1) of the Equality Act 2010” to its recruitment processes, which “allows discrimination on the basis of gender reassignment” to exclude trans women and non-binary people from employment at the charity.
The charity added that “legal provisions can change”, and that it would regularly review its position accordingly.
The stance of Edinburgh Women’s Aid differs to that of the nationwide charity Scottish Women’s Aid, which states on its website that its services are “trans inclusive, and provide support to women in lesbian relationships as well as heterosexual relationships”.
Scottish Women’s Aid stated in a comment to PinkNews that decisions can be made by “local Women’s Aid groups as autonomous organisations”.
“Our focus remains on ensuring the safety and well-being of the survivors who seek support from the Women’s Aid network,” Scottish Women’s Aid added.
Trans survivors have ‘nowhere to go’ when they need help
In 2022, Women’s Aid England was criticised for supporting the exclusion of trans women from domestic abuse services, with LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity Galop claiming it has seen in its frontline work and research that “trans people do not have safe, trans-inclusive spaces to go to when they need to flee.”
“As a result of this lack of safe provision for trans and non-binary people, we see trans people that we work with having to choose between staying in dangerous and abusive situations or facing dangerous and damaging alternatives, including homelessness,” Galop explained.
A Scottish Government spokesperson told PinkNews: “The needs and safety of survivors of domestic abuse must be the utmost priority of support services. The Scottish Government cannot intervene in the operational running of Edinburgh Women’s Aid or any other charitable organisation.
“We expect all relevant organisations to comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. As employers, organisations may need to consider the impact of other legislation, such as the requirements of the law on health and safety in workplaces.”
It added: “The Scottish Government strongly supports the separate and single sex exceptions in the Equality Act 2010, which can allow for trans people to be excluded when this is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. This is not in conflict with our support for trans rights.”
PinkNews has contacted Edinburgh Women’s Aid for comment.
Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Refuge (www.refuge.org.uk). The charity runs the 24-hour, freephone National Domestic Violence Helpline, 0808 2000 247. The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
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