Hundreds gather outside Girlguiding HQ to demand trans ban is reversed: ‘Adults debate, children bleed’

“Make a Promise, Keep a Promise”: that was the resounding message outside Girlguiding HQ today as hundreds of current and ex members, leaders, parents and allies turned out in joyful force to oppose the organisation’s ban on trans girls participation.

At the beginning of December, Girlguiding – the national governing charity that oversees girl guide groups in the UK and which previously said it was “proudly trans inclusive” – announced it had made the “difficult decision” to ban all trans girls from its groups, which includes Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, and Rangers.

On Saturday afternoon (13 December) a demonstration – one of many happening across the UK during the weekend – took place outside Girlguiding’s headquarters on Buckingham Place Road, central London, led by campaign group Guiders Against Trans Exclusion.

“This decision to exclude trans members is not what members of Girlguiding want,” Lily, spokesperson for Guiders Against Trans Exclusion – and who was a Brownie, Guide, Young Leader and now an Adult Leader – told PinkNews.

“We are here because we love Girlguiding very deeply and when you love something you have to be able to say when they have done something wrong – and this is absolutely the wrong move for Girlguiding.”

Lily said the ban is sending the message to trans youth that “they are not safe even in the organisations that are supposed to protect them”.

“We have the saying, ‘adults debate, children bleed’, and I think that’s absolutely the case for our younger members who are being let down by this policy.”

Demonstrators, many which were wearing their Girlguiding uniforms, attended with colourful placards that read: “You taught me to be kind and helpful: I stand with trans girls”, “Guides Slay Transphobia” and “Protect Trans Youth”, amongst other slogans. Badges made especially for the protest, which feature the colours of the trans flag, were also handed out and worn on people’s uniforms.

During the protest, organisers led demonstrators in a singalongs featuring several Girlguiding classics like “Everywhere We Go”, speeches were given and testimonies from members impacted by the ban were read aloud.

In announcing the ban, Girlguiding cited the controversial Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland vs Scottish Ministers – which in April decided the protected characteristic of “sex” for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act means “biological sex” only and does not include trans people – as the reason for its sweeping move to exclude trans youth.

Trans girls were first officially allowed to become members in 2017 when Girlguiding passed new guidelines that aimed to support “all girls and young women”. However, the organisation’s updated equality and diversity policy now states it will only accept “biologically female” members regardless of “however they identify” – which they say includes trans boys – as this is “in line with the Equality Act 2010 definition”, as per the Supreme Court ruling.

Girlguiding said its policy was being changed following “detailed considerations”, “expert legal advice” and feedback from members, but added it is a “decision we would have preferred not to make”.

Despite the alleged detailed considerations Girlguiding made prior to the announcement, the organisation confirmed to PinkNews it has never kept data on trans members and so actually has no clue how many children could be barred from participation.

The ban has been widely condemned by both current and former members, with thousands of people having signed a petition calling for the decision to be immediately revoked and This Morning‘s Ashley James resigning as a Girlguiding ambassador due to her opposition to the ban. Some Girlguiding leaders have also told PinkNews they will entirely refuse to enforce the ban or exclude children who want to be involved with Girlguiding.

Lily said the ban has had a “devastating” impact and “thrown the whole organisation into a really painful position”, whereby many leaders have had to evaluate whether they want to continue to be involved.

“We’ve seen many leaders resigning, parents pulling their children out, events having to be canceled, trips having to be canceled because of the instability of the ban,” Lily explained.

“We’ve also seen hundreds and hundreds of personal testimonies from Girlguiders and particularly people in the LGBTQ+ community saying how devastated and how let down they feel.

“There’s a real feeling of fear amongst Girl Guiding community now.”

Girlguiding is not the only organisation that has banned the inclusion of trans women and girls in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.

In recent months, the Football Association (FA) and Scottish FA have taken steps to exclude trans women and girls, whilst Keir Starmer’s Labour party announced the Labour women’s conference would be for cis women only going forward from 2026.

Around the same time as Girlguiding’s ban being announced, the Women’s Institute (WI) – which has also previously spoken of its pride in being trans inclusive – shared its own update and announced trans women would be barred from membership.

Many of these decision have been based on the Supreme Court ruling, but also the controversial interim guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) – the UK’s human rights watchdog – which recommended organisations, businesses and service providers prevent trans men and women from using single-sex services and spaces, such as changing rooms and toilets, which aligned with their gender.

It also added in “some circumstances” trans people could be barred from spaces that align with their “biological sex” as well. The EHRC later clarified these “circumstances” referred to situations where “reasonable objection” could be taken to a trans person’s presence, such as in female spaces, when “the gender reassignment process has given [a trans man] a masculine appearance or attributes”.

Trans, LGBTQ+ and wider human rights organisations – as well as some MPs – have all warned that such measures could lead to the “widespread exclusion” of trans people from public life.

Ahead of the protests, Girlguiding issued a further statement in which the organisation said it “understood” its decision “has had an impact on our members, volunteers, and supporters” and added the ban was “not made due to any safeguarding concern”.

“We are aware that some of you are planning to attend peaceful protests to share your voices, stand in solidarity with the trans community, and highlight the impact of this decision,” the statement went on to read.

“While these protests are not organised by Girlguiding (the Guide Association) itself, we have spoken with some representatives of Guiders Against Trans Exclusion as we shared a commitment to maintaining safety, especially for young members who may attend.

“We are also aware there is a risk of counter-protestors, and safety is our priority for all members.

“We want to reassure you that attending this protest won’t result in penalties in your role as a member. We do expect everyone to uphold our Guiding values and the code of conduct put in place by protest organisers.

“Any further action regarding your membership would only ever be considered if behaviour falls outside of these guidelines.

“Thank you for continuing to act with kindness.”