Trans rights advocates have condemned new interim guidance issued by UK police that confirms trans women in custody may now be subject to strip searches by male officers — a decision that follows a controversial Supreme Court ruling redefining “sex” as biological under the 2010 Equality Act.
The interim policy, published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on Thursday, outlines that strip searches involving intimate body parts must be conducted by officers of the same biological sex as the detained individual. Any deviation from this rule requires the written consent of the detainee, the officer conducting the search, and an authorising officer.
This change comes in direct response to the UK Supreme Court’s 16 April ruling in the For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers case, which determined that the legal definition of “woman” under the Equality Act excludes transgender women. The decision, backed by gender-critical campaigners, has set off a ripple effect impacting trans inclusion across a range of sectors.
Institutions such as the British Transport Police, the Football Association, and the Scottish Parliament have already introduced new policies aligning with the court’s definition, limiting access for trans people to single-sex spaces and services.
Now, the police service has joined them.
NPCC chair Chief Constable Gavin Stephens defended the decision, stating: “Our aim has been to implement the Supreme Court judgment in a pragmatic and consistent way across policing. It is important that officers and staff have clear guidance in light of the ruling.”
While acknowledging that the issue sparks “deep feelings” on both sides of the debate, Stephens claimed the force remains committed to treating everyone “with fairness, dignity and respect.”
But trans advocates and community members strongly disagree.
Forcing trans women to be strip-searched by male officers has been slammed as a violation of bodily autonomy, privacy, and dignity, with many calling the move not only discriminatory, but traumatising.
Protests Erupt in Response
The guidance has reignited anger and protest. In Edinburgh, trans women staged a topless demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament, following the adoption of sex-specific facilities based on biological sex. One protester, Sophie Molly, told Edinburgh Live that the decision represented “a real setback for bodily autonomy.”
In London, hundreds of protesters marched from Marble Arch to Downing Street as part of a rally organised by trans rights group STRIVE (Standing for Trans Rights, Inclusion and Visibility Everywhere).
“This is a deeply symbolic act,” STRIVE said in a statement to PinkNews. “One that reflects the raw truth of how exposed and vulnerable our community is made to feel under a government that continues to marginalise and ignore us.”
At the rally’s climax, demonstrators were invited to remove their tops, if comfortable, and stand bare-chested, waving trans flags in a visible act of protest.
Despite growing backlash, including concerns from within the legal and human rights communities, the UK government has so far stood firm on the Supreme Court ruling’s implications. For trans people across the country, the path forward is increasingly uncertain, and resistance is only intensifying.
