Words by ITV News producer Kieran Carter
On Wednesday, the UK Supreme Court issued a ruling defining in law, and for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010, what a woman is.
In their ruling they declared a "woman" and the term "sex" referred to a person's biological sex, or the sex they were assigned at birth.
The issue reached the Supreme Court after a Scottish women's rights group brought a claim against the Scottish government over their decision to allow trans women to sit on executive board places reserved for women.
Issuing the judgment, the justices cautioned that their ruling should not be seen as a victory for either side and that trans women were no less protected from discrimination under the law.
The judges did however say that single sex spaces may exclude trans individuals with gender recognition certificates, "where proportionate to do so".
This has led to dismay among trans communities with many telling ITV News they're concerned about the implications of Wednesday's judgment.
Bel Priestly - Actor/Influencer
The Supreme Court's judgment on Wednesday has left many trans individuals uncertain about the future. One thing Bel Priestly says she does know is that instances of trans-hate crime have increased in recent years.
"It's so hard seeing the news, it's so hard seeing so many people agree with such an honestly heartbreaking situation," said Bel.
Influencer and Heartstopper actor, Bel Priestly, described Wednesday as a "tough day".
According to the Home Office, trans-related hate crime has increased by 70% since the year ending March 2021, rising from 2,799 recorded reports to 4,780 in the year ending March 2024.
"I feel terrified," said Bel.
"You see situations like Brianna Ghey, who is a 16 year old trans girl murdered in broad daylight for being trans.
"You see the way people comment even about someone like me online.
"If you were walking down the street and you were a visibly trans person would you feel more safe or unsafe?
"I think we can all agree you'd feel terrified and unsafe."
Bel says she feels "terrified" after Wednesday's ruling.
Whilst Wednesday's ruling doesn't immediately change the day-to-day lives of trans women, many, like Bel, are concerned what the implications will be in the days and weeks to come.
"Are trans men now going to go into women's spaces? Am I going to have to go into a man's space because that puts me at risk?
"It's such unknown territory that it's really scary to know what to do in a situation."
The Equality Commission is expected to deliver new guidance on single sex spaces soon. ITV News asked Ms Priestly how she would respond were she to be excluded from these.
"It's all about education and moving forward," Bel said.
"Hopefully we don't move backwards."
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Speaking directly to her community, Bel said: "You have to put on a brave face.
"The trans sisterhood is so important and you just have to stick together and keep moving."
Bel says education is key in difficult situations adding that the "trans sisterhood is so important."
Charlie Craggs - Author/Actor/Trans activist
Charlie Craggs told ITV News she'd been anxious about Wednesday's ruling, but at the same time it didn't surprise her. She's concerned about the direction of travel on trans rights in the UK.
"We've really seen trans women become political scapegoats over the best part of ten years now." Charlie said, adding: "People running for office are using us to get votes."
Charlie Craggs says she's worried about the UK's direction of travel.
Charlie said even before Wednesday's ruling her life as a trans woman was hard.
"I'm called a man all day every day anyway," she said.
"I'm already scared to use bathrooms when I'm out, if I'm not desperate I'm not using it because I don't have the energy to be arguing with anyone.
"I don't want to make anyone feel unsafe but I also don't wanna feel unsafe.
"It's a really sad thing because I've never done anything to make anyone feel unsafe, but you just feel unwelcome here."
Charlie says she is subjected to the same harassment biological women face.
Charlie says when she walks down the street she can be subjected to the same abuse women face and yet her community is being pushed into an even more unsafe position.
"I can go out in the world and I'll pass. I will be treated exactly the same in terms of cat calling, sexual harassment and rape as any other woman.
"Why are they fighting so hard for us to be put in men's bathrooms with these people that [they're] trying to protect themselves from?", she asked.
Speaking about concerns from biological women about their safety in single sex spaces, Charlie asked: "Where are the stats?
"It's all hypothetical. 'What if men start to infiltrate these spaces because trans women are in these spaces?' Trans women have always been allowed in these spaces.
"You've never heard of this problem up until now."
For Charlie, one of the most concerning things is where Wednesday's ruling could lead to next.
"It lets them know that they're winning," says Charlie Craggs.
"What it does do is it spurs these people on who've been very anti-trans. It lets them know that they're winning and that they can get away with it," says Charlie.
"If you don't think they're going to apply these same arguments to other communities specifically under the LGBT umbrella.
"If you don't think that 'the arguments against trans people in bathrooms couldn't be applied to me'.
"This is the scary thing. Once they pull off one chain of the LGBT community its so much easier to pull off the others.
"That's what's scary to me, I don't know where this is going to stop."
Like many, both in the community and now service providers, Charlie questions how a policy like this could ever be enforced.
"Who is pulling the trousers down?", she joked.
"There's all this talk about trans women and, 'we could be potential hypothetical predators', but these hypothetical worries are having very much real effects on the lives of very much real people," she said, adding: "I'm not hypothetical, I'm a person."
Charlie pointed to instances of athletes being falsely accused of competing in the wrong gender category like Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, who ITV News spoke to last month. Ms Craggs warns Wednesday's ruling will have a wider impact than just the trans community.
"This is going to hurt so much more than trans people when they try and enforce it.
"I have so many butch lesbian friends who have been stopped and accosted in toilets. Just because they're not your idea of what a woman looks like they're going to be given abuse and told to leave," Charlie said.
"I'm already am scared to use bathrooms when I'm out," says Charlie Craggs.
Olivia Campbell-Cavendish - Lawyer
Olivia Campbell-Cavendish is a lawyer who specialises in supporting the trans community in legal matters. Like Charlie, she blames politics for increasingly vocal challenges to the way trans people live their lives.
"I think this has extremely frightening and scary implications for really all marginalised and vulnerable people, women included," said Olivia.
Olivia Campbell-Cavendish thinks trans women's lives are being politicised.
Olivia points to an increase in negative attention for trans people in the media, pointing the finger at politics for setting the agenda.
"Five years ago, trans people were going about their lives without being subject to this huge public discourse.
"This is coming from, ultimately, politics. It's the politicisation of people's lives.
"We are all vulnerable to being on the receiving end of what is ultimately, state violence."
Olivia has seen an increase in calls to her legal support charity and says trans women's lives will get harder as a result of this judgment.
Whilst the confusion over what Wednesday's ruling means for the practicalities of life as a trans woman continues, Olivia says their lives will get harder.
"The [Wednesday's] ruling doesn't mean people are free to discriminate against trans poeple, however there will be those that try," Olivia said.
"What's most important is understanding that individual trans people in their day to day lives will have, as a result of this judgment, a number of challenges doing some of the most basic things.
"Going to the bathroom. Being assigned a bed in a hospital. Most people haven't met a trans woman.
"This furore about 'trans women invading bathrooms' - I think trans women deserve to go to the bathroom in peace."
Olivia Campbell-Cavendish thinks the consequences of Wednesday's ruling for trans people, "could be deadly."
"These are the most frightening considerations," said Olivia.
"These conversations about hospital wards lead to delays in trans people being able to access general health care that can, and actually has, led to deaths.
"How does a trans person who is dealing with a health problem that's not related to their transness, cancer for example, who might need immediate care - how do they go about accessing hospital treatment in the midst of this disarray?
"There's no evidence that trans and non-binary people present any risk to others. But there is a wealth of evidence that this conversation, this horrendous conversation that's, you know, starting this, like, underwear witch hunt harms all of us, harms cis people, harms trans people - to the extent where everybody's afraid."
Like both Bel and Charlie, Olivia says she refuses to stop fighting for the rights her community feel are under threat, saying: "As far as I'm concerned trans women have always been the caretakers of the children that society discards - and we will continue."
The concerns of these three women have been repeated by many across the trans community. Whilst Wednesday's ruling gave cause to celebrate for some women, their stories paint a very different picture.
If You've been affected by the issues discussed in this article find help here:
Rape Crisis - 0808 500 2222
Terrence Higgins Trust - 0808 802 1221
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