Dear Girlguiding Leadership:

 

We, the undersigned volunteers, are writing with respect and with care for the organisation we have served for many years. Our involvement in Girlguiding has always been rooted in its values: inclusion, courage, integrity, service to young people, and the belief that every girl deserves a safe space in which she can belong and thrive.

 

It is because of this commitment that we must express our collective concern regarding the recent amendments to the organisation’s policy on transgender participation. As currently written, the revised policy no longer recognises trans girls as girls for the purposes of membership and access to Girlguiding activities.

 

We fully appreciate that Girlguiding, as a national charity, must navigate complex societal pressures. However, we have serious ethical and safeguarding concerns about the implications of excluding transgender young people from a girl-centred environment. This shift places volunteers in a position that is misaligned with the inclusive safeguarding guidance used across the UK youth, health, and education sectors.¹ ² ³

 

We therefore respectfully and formally request that Girlguiding leadership:

 

1. Reinstates an inclusion policy that recognises and affirms trans girls as girls, allowing their participation across all Girlguiding sections.

2. Engages meaningfully with volunteers, safeguarding specialists, and trans-led organisations to review the current policy so it aligns with recognised best practice.

3. Provides clear, supportive, and practical guidance to volunteers around inclusion and safeguarding for all young people, including those who are trans.

 

We want to emphasise that this letter is written in good faith and in a spirit of constructive dialogue. Nevertheless, we must also be transparent about our own boundaries and capacities.

 

If these issues are not addressed, we intend—reluctantly but firmly—to resign from our volunteer roles.

 

This statement reflects our sincere commitment to acting in alignment with safeguarding best practice, the wellbeing of young people, and the inclusive values that Girlguiding has publicly upheld for many years. It is not a threat, but an explanation of the ethical and practical limits of our continued participation.

 

We remain open to discussion and hopeful that, together, we can find a way forward that protects both Girlguiding’s mission and the dignity of every young person who wishes to belong.

 

Yours sincerely,

The Undersigned Volunteers

 

1. NHS England – Gender-questioning young people guidance

 

While NHS England recently updated its clinical pathways, it continues to affirm:

 

Transgender identity is not a safeguarding risk in itself.

 

Trans young people experience significantly higher rates of bullying, isolation, and mental-health struggles, and benefit from inclusive environments.

(Sources: NHS England Service Specification for Gender-Diverse Children and Young People; NHS Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2023.)

 

 

2. UK Department for Education – Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)

 

KCSIE requires youth organisations to:

 

Treat all protected groups with dignity.

 

Avoid policies or behaviour that subject pupils to harassment or discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics, including gender reassignment (a protected characteristic from age 0 under the Equality Act 2010).

(Note: While DfE guidance uses “schools” language, Girlguiding voluntarily aligns with similar safeguarding principles in its own materials.)

 

 

3. Equality Act 2010

 

Under the Act:

 

“Gender reassignment” is a protected characteristic regardless of medical transition.

 

Organisations providing single-sex services such as Girlguiding may apply certain exceptions only if objectively justified and proportionate. Blanket bans are considered disproportionate in most youth contexts.

(EHRC Technical Guidance on the Equality Act.)

 

 

4. Girlguiding’s Own Historic Safeguarding Resources (pre-revision)

 

Previous official Girlguiding policy documents stated that:

 

Trans girls are girls and should be welcomed as such.

 

Inclusion reduces safeguarding risk by ensuring vulnerable young people are not isolated or placed in situations of exclusion.

This shift therefore represents a departure from Girlguiding’s prior evidence-aligned position.

 

 

5. Research from major UK and international child welfare organisations

 

Large-scale studies consistently show:

 

Trans young people who experience affirming, inclusive environments have significantly lower rates of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and bullying.

 

Exclusionary policies increase vulnerability and isolation.

(Sources include: Stonewall School Report 2023; GLSEN National School Climate Survey; University of Cambridge Centre for Family Research, 2021.)

 

 

6. Safeguarding principle of “the best interests of the child”

 

Across all UK safeguarding frameworks (NHS, KCSIE, NSPCC, GIRFEC in Scotland), the guiding duty is:

 

Minimise harm.

 

Reduce isolation.

 

Provide inclusive, developmentally supportive environments.

Excluding trans girls contradicts this duty because it removes a protective social space, rather than mitigating risk.