With the world in the current state it is in, it was not shock that I felt hearing about the supreme court ruling on the April 16, 2025, in the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers trial. As so often is when hate groups pushing patriarchy's agenda - groups who's purpose is oppression - win cases like these which directly put peoples life's at risk, the feeling is more that of disgust. It's always a bitter pill to swallow that resources and time are spent on people's ideologies in ways that are harmful rather than helpful. This time, the goal was to ostracise transgender women. The goal was to make an already inaccessible world even harder to live in for the 0.5% of population who are transgender women.
There was nothing feminist about this ruling or those who instigated it
Headlines have been flying all over the web calling this "feminist victory". As a staunch feminist myself, it nauseates me to see headlines that this ruling was in any way a "feminist victory". Pushing patriarchal rhetoric of oppression and violent agendas which will put people at risk, is the opposite of what feminism should be and what feminists have worked towards for decades. Rulings like these are built firmly on the desire to oppress. This is a win only for power hungry cis-women who want the ability to oppress what is not heteronormative . That is not modern feminism.
A feminism that seeks power instead of questioning it does not care about justice. - Lola Olufemi
The (non) reasons driving the ideology against transgender women
I'll put here the reasons that I've heard so far which pushed this agenda.
Women want to feel safe in certain spaces, such as changing rooms, public toilets, and shelters.
Women wants to have "women only" sport.
In short some women wanted restrictions for other women's access to spaces. I would assume that there is more to the list, but regardless of the list of reasons, the desired outcome is simply to be able to oppress someone else. Not to establish safety for yourself.
Still, fear for safety seems to have been the major driving force. It is hard to imagine what the expectation from this ruling actually is in terms of making this world a safer place for any woman. Transgender women I believe make up 0.5% of the population. If you look at statistics, what does the statistics say about women identifying women being oppressed, attacked, raped, murdered or mutilated by transgender women? What statistic or true events has fed the fear of transgender women for other women identifying women? Statistically, there is little, if any, evidence for this rational. The fear is ideological and self-made.
As a cis-woman myself, this ruling has done nothing to make the world a safer space for me. It has in fact only furthered the patriarchy's agenda which means it can be used to make this world an even worse situation for myself, and any other woman, transgender or not. This ruling has not made the world any safer from femicide, from rape, mutilation or harassment.
What this ruling has succeeded in is limiting women access to safe spaces from perpetrators who are male or male identifying. The harassments will continue, the rape, the killing and the oppression will continue just as it is now. Public changing rooms and shelters are not a statistic I've ever seen high in the rankings used as a place for violence against women. They can however be a safe space where someone can seek temporary refuge from harm. Homes, offices, cars, streets, remote or empty spaces (like forests or empty streets) are however still the most dangerous places for any woman identifying woman to be in. I ask, how has this statistic been improved by this recent ruling?
So technically, this ruling has done nothing for women in terms of inclusion and safety. It has, however, ensure the dangers to life of transgender women has increased. Statistically, transgender women are more likely to be the target of gender based violence than other groups of women identifying women. Cis-women are as dangerous to transgender women as cis-men are. This ruling has simply given cis-women a powerful tool to discriminate against other women, particularly transgender women.
The dangers of this exclusionary rhetoric
This ruling isn't simply about sharing bathrooms or changing rooms that a lot seem to narrow it down to. If you look beyond the slogans and superficiality of the agenda in the press, this ruling means that transgender women will not be able to access safe spaces for their protection, or they may be prevented to receive the medical assistance they need. It means any process they must go through to receive care and support will be made harder and will become less accessible. And a ruling like this will only be the start of what could be potentially feeding even more sinister legal proceedings in the future. This is how oppression of any group of people gets its legal foundation and it has now been firmly cemented to start building block off of it.
A big concern that is nagging at the back of my mind is how this law will be applied in the future to ensure that transgender women will face limitations in their access to justice. How will case law be applied now that it has been decided to divide who is allowed to be a woman and not when the crime perpetrated could have been carried out because of the simple fact that the perpetrator sees the victim as a woman? The areas that will become grey in law means that justice may be less available to the victim than it already was before this ruling.
Why we will not change
As I write this post I want to make it abundantly clear that I, and A Sceptic's Bookshelf, wholeheartedly stands against the injustice that went through the supreme court ruling this week. The women identifying women who fought for this ruling, and supported it, should know the disappointment a lot of us feel towards you.
Women, this means all women identifying women, will always be supported and have a safe space wherever A S Bookshelf is. We will continue to sell books that provides insights, knowledge and support transgender men and women. We will continue to support the Mermaids Uk Charity through the donations we make from the sale of our inclusivity patches. And we will continue to work towards opening more minds to the realities of people from different paths than ourselves. With every mind opened to the realities of people's lived experiences, rather than ideology and fearful rhetoric, we take one small step towards a more inclusive world that walks away from oppressive practice, rather than towards it.
In this moment of anger and disgust, I hope that the transgender community and it's allies will continue to fight for trans rights - we simply cannot back down. I hope this ruling will be appealed in the European Court as it is not too late to have it overturned. And I hope that if you are affected by these news, if you need support, that you reach out and don't hesitate to let the people know what you need in these troubling times. A S Bookshelf will always be of help in any way we can.
