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ARTICLE · 17 JUNE 2025

HR Briefing - June 2025

Macfarlanes LLP
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In one of the most widely-debated judgments of recent years, the Supreme Court has ruled that the word "sex", for the purposes of the Equality Act, means a person's biological sex.

United KingdomEmployment and HR
Hayley Robinson
Hayley Robinson
Matthew Ramsey
Matthew Ramsey

Welcome to this month's briefing for HR teams and in-house employment counsel – bringing you this month's employment law highlights in an easy-to-read package.

Sex, gender and toilets

In one of the most widely-debated judgments of recent years, the Supreme Court has ruled that the word "sex", for the purposes of the Equality Act, means a person's biological sex.

The case was brought by a pressure group against the Scottish Government, which had sought to issue guidance to the effect that a person holding a gender recognition certificate, or GRC, ought to be regarded as being of their certificated sex. That stance was, the Scottish Government maintained, warranted by the terms of the Gender Recognition Act, which confirms that a person holding a GRC is to regarded as being of their certificated sex for all purposes. However, the Gender Recognition Act goes on to disapply that general statement where another piece of legislation is incompatible with it. The

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