Girlguiding faces fierce backlash after setting deadline for trans girls to leave
The UK’s largest girls’s organisation has said trans girls currently in its groups will have until 6 September 2026 to quit
By Eve Ellis
Girlguiding is facing growing backlash after confirming that transgender members must leave by September.
The UK’s largest girls’s organisation has said trans girls currently in its groups will have until 6 September 2026 to quit, following a recent UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
For many families, that decision has caused “heartbreak”.
“If it wasn’t there, then she’d be allowed to join in” – reports of the trans girl who tried to cut off her own penis
One case reported by the Observer this week said a six-year-old trans girl attempted to cut off her penis with plastic scissors in order to remain part of Rainbows, the youngest Girlguiding group.
Her parents reportedly found her “sobbing in her room”, with the child saying: “If it wasn’t there, then she’d be allowed to join in.” The incident has intensified criticism of the policy, with members and volunteers choosing to walk out.
A long-standing member of 20 years has formed a campaign group, Guiders Against Trans Exclusion (Gate), to “make clear to Girlguiding in the strongest possible terms that its membership does not support the policy.”
A letter of intent to resign has already gathered more than 450 signatures from volunteers – and the number continues to rise – while reports suggest some staff within Girlguiding are privately backing the campaign.
“Not reflective of any safeguarding concerns” – Girlguiding on their transgender ban
The controversy follows a mother’s letter published on the Sex Matters website, arguing that allowing transgender women to participate as volunteers was “unlawful discrimination” and that “girls have the right to spaces without boys, however they identify.”
Girlguiding, however, has said that the decision was “not the result of a single legal claim” and is “not reflective of any safeguarding concerns.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Girlguiding said the organisation is still committed to its core values “Girlguiding exists to empower girls and young women, and help create a more equal world. Our values and beliefs have not changed.”
They continued: “We remain committed to standing up for the rights, safety and dignity of girls and women, and to supporting marginalised communities, including LGBTQ+ people, to improve the lives of girls.”