Editorial: Time for SF and Alliance to stop hiding behind equality quango on women's rights

It is time for honesty from politicians at Stormont on where they stand on the right of women and girls to have single-sex spaces, free from men.

Over a month ago, the UK Supreme Court ruled that under GB equality law, sex is defined by biology. Since then, nationalist and Alliance politicians have been hiding behind upcoming guidance from the Equality Commission (ECNI) on how employers here should respond.

At the weekend, the DUP’s Jonathan Buckley urged sporting organisations to protect women now. ECNI’s view on how the ruling will impact NI is due next month. Despite the GB legislation which the ruling dealt with not applying here, the commission has already said the judgment is likely to be followed in similar cases.

Stormont itself has been operating a transgender inclusion policy which meant that all of its toilet facilities were mixed sex. Legal advice given to the NI Assembly, and reported by the News Letter, showed that action needed to be taken immediately to avoid legal risk. Yet Sinn Fein, Alliance and the SDLP rejected it, preferring to wait for the non-statutory guidance from ECNI.

Unionist ministers in the executive have signalled their intent to protect single-sex spaces, many of which have been undermined by the creeping influence of transgender lobby groups over the past decade, without any debate.

With the exception of Carál Ní Chuilín MLA, SF and Alliance have not been honest with voters about what they want. The North Belfast MLA suggested old laws should be revisited to look at trans inclusion. There is no suggestion the public wants sex to be redefined, but at least that would allow a proper debate for the first time.

It’s a clear choice, and politicians can’t allow trans groups to undermine the law by the back door.