The Women's Institute has announced it will no longer accept transgender women becoming or remaining members amid a crackdown on the Supreme Court's landmark judgement on the definition of a woman.
The organisation's leadership said the exclusion was a consequence of the court's ruling, which determined the term "woman" under the Equality Act refers to biological sex rather than gender identity.
Melissa Green, chief executive of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, revealed the decision was communicated to the organisation's membership on Wednesday.
The move marks a significant shift for the 110-year-old institution, which has accepted trans women amongst its more than 175,000 members for over four decades.
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The ruling has prompted similar actions across women's organisations, with Girlguiding announcing restrictions on Tuesday.
Speaking to the Guardian, Ms Green expressed her sorrow over the ruling.
"It is with the utmost regret and sadness that we must announce that, from April 2026, we can no longer offer formal membership to transgender women," she told members.
"But the message we really want to get across is that it remains our firm belief that transgender women are women, and that doesn't change.
The change to the Women's Institute membership will take effect from April 2026
|GETTY
"As an organisation that has proudly welcomed transgender women into our membership for more than 40 years, this is not something we would do unless we felt that we had no other choice."
Those seeking to join or renew their membership will need to confirm they were recorded as female at birth.
The policy formally ends an inclusive approach introduced in the 1970s and made official in 2015.
To maintain connections with trans women, the organisation will introduce "sisterhood groups" from April onwards.
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Those seeking to join or renew their WI membership will need to confirm they were recorded as female at birth
|GETTY
Ms Green explained these would serve as spaces "where we will recognise transgender women as women and explore what it is to be a woman in the 21st century".
The WI described itself as having "a large transgender population" within its membership and said its decision was based on independent legal guidance, despite formal guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission remaining unpublished.
Ms Green acknowledged the new groups carried risks of becoming divisive but stressed the importance of ensuring they function as safe environments.
The decision was reached by the WI's 138-member council and board following extensive legal advice.
Ms Green said the WI had received fewer than 100 communications regarding the issue, many from the same individuals or from outside the membership.
Trans members who were informed of the changes before the public announcement responded with grace, according to Ms Green.
"They've been so respectful and so understanding of the decision, but profoundly sad."
She recalled speaking with one 80-year-old transgender woman who described the WI as "one of the greatest experiences of her life, and the only place in her 80 years where she's been treated as a woman with respect".
Ms Green expressed hope the move would not be perceived as abandonment.
"My hope is that the message that the transgender community gets from this is not one of betrayal, but is one of our desire to continue to maintain those friendships and that support," she said.
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