Universities STILL won't ban men from women's spaces despite Supreme Court ruling

By MARY WRIGHT FOR THE SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL Published: 20:03, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 20:07, 25 May 2026 Scottish universities are under fire for refusing to bar men from women’s spaces – more than a year after the Supreme Court ruled sex in law is based on biology. Women’s rights campaigners insist ‘time has run out’ for higher education chiefs to overhaul gender-neutral policies in relation to single-sex spaces and women’s sports. It comes after the equalities watchdog confirmed that access to toilets and changing rooms must be based on biological sex.  Campaign group Women Won’t Wheesht (WWW) says its investigation has found just one out of Scotland’s 16 universities has a clear biological sex-based policy. Only Glasgow Caledonian University has set out a straightforward position on access to toilets and changing rooms aligned with sex at birth. Guidance by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) makes clear biological males identifying as women should not use single-sex spaces.  The code of practice was published last week, following last year’s Supreme Court ruling that ‘woman’ under the Equality Act is defined by biological sex. It is now before Parliament, with MPs and peers having 40 days to raise any concerns. If there are no objections, the guidance will become statutory. The equalities watchdog confirmed that access to toilets and changing rooms must be based on biological sex Only Glasgow Caledonian University has set out a straightforward position on access to toilets  Critics say it must force a rethink across Scottish campuses where they say gender ideology has become entrenched. WWW says universities must stop ‘burying their heads in the sand’ and bring policies into line with the law. According to its research, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, St Andrews, Strathclyde and Stirling universities, as well as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, openly promote gender-neutral access. Eight others – Edinburgh Napier, Queen Margaret, Highlands and Islands, Abertay, Robert Gordon, Heriot-Watt and the University of the West of Scotland as well as Glasgow School of Art – did not appear to have current published policies. WWW co-founder Clare Blom said: ‘Female students are being expected to surrender privacy and boundaries, then smeared as bigots if they object.’ ‘Universities cannot continue dragging their heels – time is up and they must now comply with the law.’ A University of Stirling spokesman said it had been waiting for EHRC guidance. Universities Scotland, the umbrella body representing the sector, was contacted for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.