New British Transport Police (BTP) guidance allowing transgender officers to conduct intimate searches on women has sparked outrage, with campaigners warning of human rights violations.
Male officers identifying as female can perform these searches if they hold a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), a document Labour has proposed making easier to obtain.
Human rights group Sex Matters slammed the policy as “unlawful,” arguing it amounts to “indirect discrimination and harassment against women” and puts them at risk of “fear, humiliation, indignity, and harassment.” Cathy Larkman, a retired police superintendent, labeled the move “state-sanctioned sexual assault,” criticizing the BTP for prioritizing ideology over women’s rights.
Critics from the Conservative Party also condemned the policy. Shadow Equalities Secretary Claire Coutinho questioned, “Who benefits from allowing transwomen to strip search biological women?” Former MP Miriam Cates called it “yet more evidence that the Gender Recognition Act should be repealed.”
While the BTP defended the guidance, claiming individuals can object to an officer conducting the search, opponents argue this doesn’t address the core issue. Similar policies faced backlash earlier this year, forcing temporary withdrawal.
This debate highlights growing tensions over balancing transgender policies with safeguarding women’s rights, sparking calls for a serious reevaluation of laws like the Gender Recognition Act.
