The Good Law Project launches petition to protect trans women using Hampstead Ponds in light of gender-critical claim
"The far right is raising its voice all across the world. We need to stand together," says The Good Law Project
By Aaron Sugg
The Good Law Project has launched a petition to protect the rights of trans women at Hampstead Ponds, after a gender-critical group called for them to be banned from the outdoor swimming spot.
The call for action follows a series of protests that took place after the UK Supreme Court ruling in April, which stated that “women” is defined as “biological” rather than based on gender identity.
Trans women have a long history of using the Hampstead ponds, officially allowing them to use ponds that align with their gender identity in 2019, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.
“The Ladies’ Pond is open to biological women and trans women” – City of London Corporation signage to the Hampstead Ponds
In July 2025, the City of London Corporation put up new signage addressing the court’s ruling: “Those who identify as women are welcome to swim at the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond. The Ladies’ Pond is open to biological women and trans women with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment under the Equality Act 2010.”
Sex Matters, a gender-critical group, filed a claim to the High Court in August seeking permission for a judicial review of the decision to allow the Hampstead Heath men’s and women’s ponds to operate on the basis of gender self-identification.
They said the case is not just about Hampstead Heath but about “whether service providers in general may lawfully permit people to access otherwise single-sex spaces of the opposite sex on the basis of transgender identity”.
“A small group of bigots” – the Good Law Project about Sex Matters attempts to bar trans woman from using the women’s facilities
In response, the Good Law Project has launched a petition following a City of London Corporation (CLC) public consultation that could affect whether trans swimmers can continue to use Hampstead Heath’s gendered ponds.
“It’s time to fight back.” They accuse the group Sex Matters of pressuring the CLC into launching a consultation that could restrict Trans+ access, describing them as “a small group of bigots” who are “stirring up division”.
The Good Law Project argues that trans people have safely used the ponds for decades and should not be excluded.
“We will not stand by and watch them push trans people out” – the Good Law Project about Sex Matters anti-trans high court request
The petition states: “We’re not having it. We will not stand by and watch them push trans people out of spaces where they’ve always belonged.”
They add: “The far right is raising its voice all across the world. We need to stand together to show that tolerance and inclusion are stronger than hate.”
In May, a group of women dressed as men to protest trans women using the women’s pond, arguing that if trans women can use the women’s pond, they should be allowed to use the men’s pond by claiming to identify as men.
As of 11 November, over 12,000 people have signed the petition, which aims to reach 25,000. To add your support, visit the Good Law Project’s official website.