Britain’s largest all-girl youth organization just changed its policies to let biological boys shower with girls in an effort to be more inclusive of transgender individuals. Girlguiding U.K. — the equivalent of America’s Girl Scouts — changed a girl- only rule to allow any youngsters who identify as female to share showers, bathrooms, changing rooms and tents with girls who are biologically born female, according to The Times.
“The use of gendered facilities, such as toilets, can cause anxiety. Members are allowed to use the facilities of the gender they self-identify as,” the new guidelines state. The policy change is a result of equality laws requiring organizations to treat people “according to their acquired gender,” said Girlguiding Chief Executive Julie Bentley, The Times reports.
“If transgender girls who are physically male are going to be sharing facilities, it’s going to make some girls threatened and uncomfortable and the Guides shouldn’t be doing that,” said the South Wales Conservative MP, David Davies, voicing the concerns many parents have expressed after the policy change.
Girlguiding members experience their “first ever sleepover, canoe on rivers, learn about body confidence, lead their own camp, or simply have fun and try new things with girls their age,” according to the organization’s website.
“The concern that I and many feminists have about boys invading bedrooms, tents and showers, is that disproportionately the victims of sexual violence are girls and women, and overwhelmingly, the perpetrators are boys and men,” said Justice for Women co-founder, Julie Bindel. “This signifies the end to girl-only space and the safety of girls in single-sex organisations.”
Girlguiding U.K. did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
“When a young person is 18 or over, it is unlawful to tell other people that they are trans unless the trans person has given you permission to do so,” the website notes.