We’re defending the Greens against a ‘gender critical’ group

Good Law Project are defending the Green Party of England and Wales, after “gender critical” activists threatened them with legal action.

When the party rejected an application from Green Women’s Declaration to hold a stall at the Green conference in October 2025, the group launched a legal challenge claiming discrimination because of their views on gender and “sex-based rights”.

The reason the application was refused, the Greens say, was to protect their trans members. Trans rights and women’s rights aren’t in conflict –  they’re two sides of the same coin in the fight for equality. The Greens believe that political parties must be able to keep all their members safe, and we agree.

Yet in the broader context, trans rights face unprecedented legal and political pressure, with last year’s Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act prompting intensified efforts to restrict trans inclusion in public spaces.

At the same time, safe spaces for trans people in party politics are shrinking. After the Supreme Court ruling, Labour ministers backed a bathroom ban, while Kemi Badenoch hailed the ruling as a “victory” – and Reform have made their views clear. 

The Greens recognise the rights enshrined in the Equality Act 2010 for people to hold gender critical views. But the party’s right to organise and operate in line with its manifesto and code of conduct is protected by Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Trans rights are enshrined in the Greens’ constitution and formed a key part of its last manifesto, and political parties must be free to stand by their principles. 

We all have a right to take part in our democracy – and it’s especially urgent for the trans community. Our political system has shaped many of the problems casting a shadow over the lives of trans people – from hate crime and prejudicial policing, to discrimination in healthcare and threats to trans children. But that system can also be used to challenge injustice. If trans people are locked out of political parties, they will lose a crucial platform from which to fight for their rights.

For Cat Knight, deputy head of legal at Good Law Project, this case highlights how these repeated threats to trans people are stifling their participation in public life.

“Trans people are facing a relentless assault on their rights,” Knight said, “so it’s all the more important that they are both seen and heard in our political system. Parties must have the power to defend their trans members, and provide safe spaces where everyone can shape the laws and policies that govern our lives.”

Trans people must feel safe and welcome in politics – that’s why we’re backing the Greens in their fight to protect trans people.