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Volume 4,Issue 5

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26 April 2026

Balancing Sex-Based Rights and Trans Inclusion: Biological Determinism in For Women Scotland – A Feminist and Queer Legal Analysis

Xinyue Wang1*
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1 University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
LNE 2026 , 4(4), 45–51; https://doi.org/10.18063/LNE.v4i4.1931
© 2026 by the Author. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

This essay examines the UK Supreme Court’s decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers and considers whether it strikes a legitimate balance between sex-based rights and transgender inclusion. It argues that, although the Court presented its reasoning as necessary for legal clarity and coherence, the judgment ultimately prioritized a biological understanding of sex. Drawing on feminist and queer legal theory, the essay demonstrates that biological sex may justify distinctions in certain contexts, but should not operate as a universal principle across equality law. It concludes that a context-based and purpose-oriented approach provides a more convincing framework for balancing sex-based protections and transgender inclusion.

Keywords
For women in Scotland
Equality law
Sex-based rights
Transgender inclusion
Feminist legal theory
Queer theory
Biological determinism
References

[1] Atrey S, 2025, Equality Law: A Structural Turn. German Law Journal, 26(S2): 153–176.

[2] Brown A, 2025, For Women Scotland [2025] UKSC 16, [2025] 2 WLR 879: “Paper Certificates”, Gender Recognition Certificates and Other Legal Documents, 14: 2.

[3] Chalson S, Earp BD, Savulescu J, 2026, Who Is a Man and Who Is a Woman? Implications of the UK Supreme Court Decision. Journal of Medical Ethics, 2026: 1–6.

[4] Cowan S, Giles HJ, Hewer R, et al., 2021, Sex and Gender Equality Law and Policy: A Response to Murray, Hunter Blackburn and Mackenzie. Scottish Affairs, 30(1): 1–20.

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