Gender critical

Gender critical is a term used to describe a set of beliefs centred on the view that biological sex is fixed and should be treated as distinct from gender identity. The term is contested: some who hold these views describe them as a matter of established legal and philosophical principle, while others — including many trans people and LGBT organisations — regard the gender-critical movement as hostile to trans inclusion and rights. This article documents the term's use, associated organisations, and relevant legal cases; it does not take a position on the underlying debate.

Legal recognition

In the UK, gender-critical beliefs have been found to qualify for protection as a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010. In Forstater v CGD Europe (2021), the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that Maya Forstater's gender-critical beliefs were protected under the Act, overturning an earlier employment tribunal decision. Forstater had not had her contract renewed by the Center for Global Development in 2019 after posting comments on government proposals regarding gender recognition. In 2023 she was awarded compensation by an employment tribunal.

Other instances where gender-critical beliefs have featured in legal or employment disputes include a 2024 tribunal finding that the Green Party discriminated against former deputy leader Dr Shahrar Ali in relation to his gender-critical views, and the case of Rev. Dr Bernard Randall, who was barred from preaching by the Church of England after a sermon on related themes. Legal disputes in this area have continued to develop; a January 2024 Guardian article reviewed several ongoing cases.

Organisations

A number of organisations describe themselves as gender-critical or campaign on related issues, including LGBAlliance, Sex Matters, LGB Liberal Forum, LGB Christians, Sex Matters to Quakers, SEEN, and Lesbian Labour. Genspect, an international organisation associated with gender-critical perspectives, describes gender as a social construction distinct from biological sex — a starting premise with broad academic support, though Genspect and others go on to argue this means gender identity should not be given legal or social weight equivalent to biological sex, a further conclusion that is contested by many trans rights organisations and some academics.

In media

The 2022 documentary Adult Human Female presented a gender-critical perspective on debates around sex and gender recognition. In 2023, Channel 4 broadcast Gender Wars, featuring Kathleen Stock, a gender-critical academic who has been the subject of protest from some trans rights campaigners.