Trans activist Princess Jezebel has spoken out after the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s updated Code of Practice on single-sex services took effect across the UK on 5th August 2026. The guidance changes how transgender people can access spaces including bathrooms and changing rooms.
Under the updated Code, transgender people may be excluded from single-sex services where the designation of the space does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. The Code provides statutory guidance on the Equality Act 2010 following the Supreme Court’s April 2025 ruling that “sex” in the Act refers to biological sex.
It also confirms that holding a Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person’s sex for the purposes of the Equality Act.
Service providers operating single-sex or separate-sex facilities may lawfully exclude people of the opposite biological sex where the restriction is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim, such as privacy or safety. The guidance notes that allowing transgender people to use an opposite-sex facility means the provider may no longer be able to rely on the single-sex exceptions.
The EHRC has stressed that the Code does not create new law but clarifies existing obligations. It states that, for essential services such as toilets, it is very unlikely to be proportionate to leave a transgender person without any facility they are permitted to use. Gender-neutral or mixed-sex facilities are presented as alternatives where single-sex provision is maintained.
“This is effectively Britain’s version of a nationwide bathroom bill, and for the trans community it represents an unprecedented reversal of rights,” said Jezebel. “We are being told that spaces we have used throughout our lives can suddenly be closed to us, despite no evidence that trans people posed a problem in the first place. What happens next is a huge concern, because confusion over enforcement creates exactly the conditions in which people may decide to police trans bodies themselves.”
Jezebel also questioned how the Code could be enforced in practice, given that there is no single document or on-the-spot test that can establish whether someone is transgender. She raised concerns about potential confrontations, vigilante-style enforcement, and possible conflicts with Article 8 protections under the European Convention on Human Rights.
The change comes as the UK ranks 22nd out of 49 countries on ILGA Europe’s Rainbow Map, down from first place in 2015, amid continuing legal changes affecting transgender people.
The updated Code applies to services, public functions, and associations in England, Wales, and Scotland. It covers facilities ranging from public toilets and gym changing rooms to domestic violence shelters and other single-sex provision.
Organisations are advised to consider the needs of all users, the benefits of single-sex arrangements, and less intrusive alternatives. Providers are also encouraged to seek independent legal advice where the Equality Act intersects with other legislation.
Businesses and service providers may need to consider signage, alternative facilities, and staff training while balancing competing rights and legal obligations. Transgender people remain protected from discrimination and harassment on the grounds of gender reassignment. The Code emphasises proportionality and case-by-case assessment rather than blanket rules.
A London-based professional dominatrix and founder of a community for transgender and non-binary BDSM professionals across the UK and Ireland, Jezebel offers first-hand commentary on transgender identity, activism, and life in modern Britain. She is available to discuss the practical impact of the new Code and the wider rollback of transgender rights in the UK.
Find and follow Princess Jezebel at TransPrincessJezebel.com.