Landmark ruling on trans women by U.K.'s top court sparks heartbreak and confusion

A judgment by the U.K.’s Supreme Court that said the legal definition of “woman” is based on biological sex came a blow to campaigners for trans rights.

LONDON — Soccer fans know it as “hallowed ground,” so when Billie Sky Walker walked onto the field at London’s Wembley Stadium two years ago, she achieved a dream held by players around the world.

Before a Community Shield men’s match between Manchester City and Arsenal in August 2023, she proudly donned an official shirt as a representative of the Football Association, the regulatory body for soccer in England, that read, “The FA is for all.”

Today, the 28-year-old is barred from playing in FA-organized tournaments following a landmark judgment by Britain’s Supreme Court in April that said the legal definition of “woman” is based on biological sex — a huge blow to campaigners for transgender rights that could have far-reaching implications for a wide range of life in the U.K., be it admission to changing rooms or decisions on hospital beds, equal pay claims and domestic violence shelters.

After the judgment, a number of sporting governing bodies, including the FA, changed their rules so that only those born biologically female are allowed to play, excluding Walker and 28 other transgender players across England from the association. The Scottish Football Association followed suit, and Northern Ireland’s Irish Football Association appears likely to do the same.

Describing the ruling as “confusing and upsetting,” Walker said she had been welcomed “into this space” by her cisgender peers, or women whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth.