TUV raises alarm over Stormont’s ‘extreme’ transgender policy on female-only spaces

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MLA for North Antrim Timothy Gaston has strongly criticised the Northern Ireland Assembly’s transgender policy, claiming it allows biological males unrestricted access to female-only spaces within Parliament Buildings, and accuses the Assembly Commission of ideological bias and a failure in public accountability.

The policy, which governs how Stormont staff, members, and visitors should interact with transgender individuals, states that individuals may use restrooms and other gendered facilities corresponding to the gender with which they identify, regardless of legal gender status or possession of a Gender Recognition Certificate.

In a strongly worded statement, Mr Gaston said:

“Having read the Assembly’s Transgender Policy, I am deeply alarmed by its contents. It reads as though it were drafted by the most extreme of trans activists.”

He continued:

“Astonishingly, the policy states — explicitly — that biological males ‘are free to use restrooms and facilities belonging to the gender with which they identify from the point at which they begin to present permanently in the sex to which they identify.’”

Policy Shift Raises Accountability and Security Concerns

Mr Gaston expressed particular concern that the updated policy replaces references to “gender reassignment” with the broader and more contentious concept of “gender identity”, effectively allowing for self-declaration without legal or medical requirements.

“In other words, a man who does not even hold a Gender Recognition Certificate can access the female toilets in Stormont,” he said.

The MLA also criticised what he sees as the policy’s undermining of security protocols.

“Concerningly, it states that ‘records will reflect the name and expressed gender identity of the person concerned.’ This renders records effectively meaningless,” he said, noting the implications for access control during large events.

“What use are records if the person concerned can turn up using a different name — and presumably a different gender — the next day?”

“Capitulation to an Ideology”

Further criticism was aimed at the omission of gender-based honorifics such as “Mr” and “Mrs” on visitor passes, which Mr Gaston described as “yet another concession to ideological activism and an effort to erase biological and social norms.”

He warned that the policy encourages complaints against those who may fail to affirm someone’s chosen gender identity — for instance, by using incorrect pronouns or questioning their presence in a gendered facility.

“This is not governance; it is capitulation to an ideology,” Mr Gaston said.

Calls for Scrutiny and Withdrawal

Mr Gaston questioned how the policy had come into force without public consultation or debate.

“Stormont must answer serious questions about how such a policy came into effect without any apparent opposition from the Assembly Commission. Who approved this? Why was there no scrutiny?”

He announced that he has taken procedural steps to ensure the matter is debated in the Assembly, having tabled both a Matter of the Day and an Urgent Oral Question for consideration immediately after the May Day recess.

“I trust the Speaker will acknowledge the seriousness of this issue and ensure it is addressed promptly,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Mr Gaston called for immediate action:

“Let me be clear: the Supreme Court has not changed the law; it has clarified it. Female spaces were always protected by law — and Stormont must reflect that. The guidance must be withdrawn immediately. The Assembly should not be leading the charge in eroding women’s rights; it should be protecting them.”