Campaigners protest outside Sheffield Town Hall over trans rights

They gathered outside Sheffield Town Hall to protest after the Supreme Court ruled that a woman is legally defined by biological sex under equalities law.

Campaigners waved flags and made speeches outside the building.

It comes after Simona Berry, trans business woman and founder of Sheffield-based company Beta, said she was ‘deeply concerned’ over the recent ruling.

She said: “I am deeply concerned by this ruling and many in my trans community are terrified for the future implications to their lives and well being.

“I worry that support, compassion and respect for trans people is less than it was 20 years ago. That’s a very scary thought.”

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on the matter on Wednesday, with Judge Lord Hodge saying the ruling should not be seen as a triumph of one side over the other, and stressed that the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission says the decision would result in an updated code of conduct for services, including the NHS and prisons, potentially affecting spaces such as hospital wards, changing rooms and domestic refuges.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, the chair of the EHRC, said the ruling was "a victory for common sense only if you recognise that trans people exist, they have rights and their rights must be respected".

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