Ella Morgan 'scared' to use public services after Supreme Court woman definition ruling
Ella Morgan - who is an "open trans woman" - is "scared" to use trains or toilets in public following the Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of a woman.
Ella Morgan is “scared to get on the train” or “go into the toilet” as an “open trans woman” following the Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of a woman.
The 27-year-old transgender advocate had gender reassignment surgery at the age of 21, and after judges at the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled the definition of a woman in the 2010 Equality Act is based on their biological sex - meaning trans women have been prevented from being recognised as female - Ella is now terrified "for the first time ever" to use public services.
This is due to the ruling protecting single-sex spaces, and the transgender community fears it could exclude them from men's and women's spaces and services.
Ella - who was the first transgender person to appear on E4's 'Married at First Sight UK' in 2023 - told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "For the first time, I've been scared to get on the train as an open trans woman, use changing rooms or go into the toilet."
Her comments come as she has been made the new face of the health and beauty brand, Superdrug, and she hopes her new platform will "promote understanding" of what it life is like for transgender people.
Ella added: "I'm proud to be the new face of Superdrug.
"I want to help people understand what it's like for transgender people ...
"I'm hoping the Superdrug campaign will promote understanding."
Gender-critical campaign group, For Women Scotland, brought the case to the Supreme Court after two Scottish courts disputed its argument that the definition of a woman in the 2010 Equality Act was only for those born female at birth.
The Scottish Goverment argued in court that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) - which is a legal document that recognises an individual's new gender - have the same protections as biological women.
Judge Lord Hodge, the deputy president of the court, told the Supreme Court: "The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
"But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not."
Speaking about how the legislation gives transgender people protections, he said: [It gives] protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender."
