The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled unanimously today that the terms man, woman and sex in the U.K. Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex.

Observers have called it a landmark ruling, as it confirms that biological males who identify as female can be excluded from places such as women’s refuges, hospital wards and sports.

Commenting to Christian Daily International, Peter Lynas, director of the Evangelical Alliance in the United Kingdom (EAUK), said: “The Evangelical Alliance welcomes the decision of the UK Supreme Court that the terms woman and sex refer to a biological woman and biological sex. It is sad that this case was necessary, but the affirmation of biological or creational reality is significant.”

The case was brought by a group called For Women Scotland (FWS), which was challenging the Scottish government’s guidance on a 2018 law designed to increase the proportion of women on public sector boards. That guidance stated that a transgender female with a “gender recognition certificate” was legally considered a woman. Although lower courts sided with the government, the Supreme Court has now ruled in favor of For Women Scotland.

“Today the judges have said what we always believed to be the case: that women are protected by their biological sex, that sex is real and that women can now feel safe that services and spaces designated for women are for women,” Susan Smith, co-director of FWS, told supporters outside court.

Above: For Women Scotland directors Susan Smith, left, and Marion Calder, right, speak to supporters outside the U.K. Supreme Court.

Photo: Vuk Valcic / ZUMAPRESS / Newscom