Girlguiding chief – We need to advocate for girl-only space

The chief guide at Girlguiding UK has said “we need to advocate for girl-only space” during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

It comes after the youth organisation announced last month that transgender girls must leave by September.

Speaking to the Press Association about the challenges women face in 2026, Tracy Foster OBE said: “Misogyny is alive and well and we need to advocate for girls and young women.

“We need to advocate for girl-only space and for safe spaces for girls and young women – and for us adult women, too.”

It comes after the UK Supreme Court ruled last April that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, which has had implications for who can access single-sex services and spaces.

Whilst declining to say if she personally agreed with the court’s ruling, she said the change in Girlguiding policy is “something that we’ve had to do, because we have to be lawful and the Supreme Court made that decision”.

“We’re doing our best by our members. Whatever we do, we’re doing with kindness and care,” she added.

Described by Girlguiding at the time as a “difficult decision”, it came almost eight months after the April 2025 Supreme Court ruling.

Girlguiding said that since that ruling, it had undertaken “detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members”, its council and board of trustees.

The organisation’s website states any current members who are transgender can stay with the organisation until September 6.

Ms Foster, who was made an OBE by the Princess Royal on Wednesday for services to Girlguiding, added: “I think for girls and young women, they face many challenges that perhaps I didn’t face when I was growing up.

“The whole digital cyber world wasn’t there. So there is an awful lot of pressure that perhaps I didn’t experience. I think it’s really hard.”

Ms Foster, who has worked as a volunteer supporting girls and young women over the past 40 years, also said she had watched Louis Theroux’s investigative documentary into controversial ultra-masculine networks, Inside The Manosphere.

“I think we just have to look at all young people in society today and give them really strong, safe messages about any gender, any sexuality, that we all need to be as inclusive as we can,” she said.

Long-awaited guidance on single-sex spaces is likely to be published next month.

The updated code of practice – aimed at guiding businesses and other organisations on provision of single and separate-sex services such as toilets and changing rooms – will face parliamentary scrutiny before coming into force.

A draft code was handed to ministers by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) last September.

While that version was described by the commission as being “legally sound”, the Government gave “feedback” and it has been confirmed some minor changes have been made to the earlier draft version.