Why the moment has come for gender-neutral spaces

CORPORATE CHRIST

After the High Court's ruling, Gender-Neutral spaces could be the solution.

The recent ruling of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in the case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers confirms that under the Equality Act 2010 the terms “man”, “woman” and “sex” refer to biological sex. House of Commons Library In practice this means that many public service providers must review how single-sex spaces are managed, and how access is granted to those identifying or presenting differently. 

Rather than retreating into rigid definitions or exclusionary policies, this is an opportunity for progressive reform: to roll out truly gender-neutral facilities wherever feasible, to offer inclusive, private, dignified access for all regardless of gender identity or sex at birth.

 
A gender-neutral approach presents the only workable way to support a system of self-identification in law while protecting the practical dignity of all users.

What “gender-neutral” means in this context

When I say “gender-neutral”, I refer to facilities (toilets, changing rooms, showers, sleeping accommodation, counselling rooms) that are not segregated by sex or gender categories but are accessible by any person.

Gender-neutral facilities are designed with privacy, safety, dignity in mind, enabling individuals of any gender, including non-binary people, trans people, and cis people, to choose the facility that suits them.

 
A gender-neutral redesign does not mean removing single-sex options in all cases—but rather shifting the default to inclusive design, and offering gender-neutral alternatives alongside (or instead of) strictly segregated spaces where that makes sense.

Why the legal ruling makes this reform urgent

Because the ruling reinforces that sex is to be interpreted as biological for the purposes of the Equality Act, many institutions are facing legal and practical complications when allowing access to single-sex spaces by gender identity alone. 

For example, a hospital ward, a women-only changing facility, or a women’s shelter previously operating on a gender-identity access principle must now revisit that policy. The ruling thus motivates a wholesale rethink of “single-sex” spaces—morally, legally, and practically.

 
In this context, the transition to gender-neutral facilities becomes the most efficient, inclusive path forward: one that sidesteps the zero-sum debate of who “qualifies” for which single-sex space, by creating spaces that simply welcome all.

Benefits of gender-neutral facilities

1.

Inclusion – Gender-neutral spaces allow people whose gender identity or expression does not fall into standard male/female categories to use facilities without stigma or forced segregation.

 
2. Privacy & dignity – Many gender-neutral designs (single-occupancy pods, family-style multi-stall rooms, strong visual privacy) can exceed the privacy levels of traditional single-sex male/female blocks.

 
3. Simplicity for providers – Rather than policing complex rules on who may use which single-sex space, a gender-neutral default simplifies access, signage, and management.

 
4. Supports self-identification in law – If a future legal regime moves to self-identification of gender (or further gender recognition reform), having gender-neutral facilities already in place means fewer conflicts with established single-sex separations.

 
5. Future-proofing – As social norms evolve around gender, non-binary and fluid identities grow in recognition; gender-neutral infrastructure is future-ready.

How to roll out gender-neutral facilities: a step-by-step strategy

1.

Audit and mapping: Government, local authorities, and public bodies should audit existing facilities (schools, hospitals, sports centres, workplaces, leisure centres) identifying where male/female only spaces exist and where they can be made formally gender-neutral.

 
2. Prioritise high-traffic sites: Focus first on settings with high volume or high vulnerability (e.g., hospitals, GP surgeries, universities, shelters) where single-sex segregation is most sensitive.

 
3. Build gender-neutral by design: When refurbishing or building new, adopt gender-neutral configuration as default (e.g., single-occupancy accessible cubicles, multi-stall rooms with floor-to-ceiling partitions, changing rooms with private units).

 
4. Maintain choice where required: In some contexts (for example, women’s shelters, rape crisis centres, single-sex sports teams) single-sex spaces may still be necessary for safety and dignity. But alongside them, gender-neutral options should be provided.

 
5. Clear signage and communication: Label gender-neutral facilities clearly, ensure people understand what “gender-neutral” means, reassure users about privacy and dignity. Update training for staff.

 
6. Consultation and design with users: Engage with women’s groups, trans and non-binary communities, disability access groups, to ensure gender-neutral facilities meet varied needs.

 
7. Phased transition and funding: Government should set targets and provide funding/support for public bodies to convert existing infrastructure to gender-neutral formats over a defined period (e.g., 5–10 years).

 
8. Monitoring and feedback: Establish mechanisms to monitor user experience, safety incidents, accessibility, to ensure gender-neutral spaces are working as intended.

Addressing concerns and objections

Naturally, any shift brings concerns. Some argue that gender-neutral facilities might compromise the privacy or safety of biological women or girls in changing rooms or toilets. Others worry about cost, signage confusion, or loss of clear single-sex protections.

 
Here’s how a gender-neutral rollout responds to key objections:

 
• Privacy: Proper gender-neutral design uses private cubicles, floor-to-ceiling partitions, lockable doors; in many cases this offers more privacy than older “male/female row” models.

 
• Safety: With good design, appropriate sight-lines, lighting, staff oversight and incident monitoring, gender-neutral rooms can be as safe as—if not safer than—segregated models. Training staff matters.

 
• Single-sex protections: For contexts where single-sex protection is essential (e.g., women’s domestic violence refuges, girls’ changing rooms post-puberty, women-only sports teams), the government should preserve those spaces alongside gender-neutral alternatives. The key is that the system is inclusive rather than exclusionary.

 
• Cost: Yes, redesigning facilities requires funding—but viewed as a long-term investment, it prevents costly legal disputes, simplifies signage and access rules, reduces conflict over “who can use which room”.

 
• Choice and transition: Some users may prefer male-only or female-only; a transitional period in which both gender-neutral and single-sex options co-exist can mitigate disruption.

Why this supports a self-identification system

If the government aims to introduce a self-identification (self-ID) legal framework for gender recognition, then practical infrastructure must align. The problem of “which facility someone may use” is one of the major barriers to self-ID systems: opponents argue that access to single-sex spaces will be uncertain, contested, or unsafe.

 
By rolling out gender-neutral spaces at scale, the government can pre-empt much of that contention. In a system that embraces self-identification, gender-neutral facilities mean that access is not reliant on legal sex classification or on a person’s “certified” gender. It becomes optional: users may choose male, female, or gender-neutral based on comfort, not decree.

 
Thus a gender-neutral roll-out acts as the infrastructure enabling self-identification in law. It removes the need for invasive or adversarial policing of single-sex spaces by legal sex status. It creates a space where dignity, privacy and autonomy are prioritised. It opens the door to legal reform without compromising people’s day-to-day experience.

Illustrative scenarios

• In a university building, instead of two separate male/female toilet blocks, you have a block of locked single-occupancy gender-neutral cubicles, plus an accessible gender-neutral stall. Students of any gender identity use the same facility, with signage “gender-neutral toilets” and clear explanation of privacy enhancements.

 
• In a hospital maternity wing, there are still female-only ante-natal classes (if required) but the changing rooms and washrooms are gender-neutral: any birthing parent, partner or visitor can use them.

 
• At a leisure centre, the changing village is configured with multiple pods: one side labelled “gender-neutral / anyone”, the other side retains “female only” for those who prefer. Staff are trained to monitor and respond to any concerns.

 
• In a workplace, instead of male/female shower rooms, the employer provides a row of private shower/locker pods labelled “gender-neutral – all staff welcome”, ensuring trans and non-binary staff feel safe and supported.

The role of government: policy and funding

To deliver this transition, government must act in three main ways:

 
1. Mandate inclusive guidance – Departments (e.g., Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government; Department of Health and Social Care; Department for Education) must issue clear guidelines requiring public bodies to plan gender-neutral facility roll-outs.

 
2. Allocate funding – Provide grants or capital support to local authorities, hospitals, universities, sports bodies and others to redesign facilities. Without funding many organisations will lag or resist.

 
3. Set monitoring and accountability frameworks – Define targets (for example: “By 2030 all new public-sector builds must be gender-neutral by default; by 2035 all existing facilities must have a gender-neutral option”), publish progress, and tie future funding to compliance.

 
4. Accompanying training and communication – Government should develop toolkits for public bodies explaining how to implement gender-neutral spaces, run user engagement, handle complaints, and monitor safety/usage.
5. Safeguard single-sex rights – Government must recognise that in some contexts single-sex spaces remain necessary for safety and dignity (for example, women’s refuge centres). Policy must allow for exceptions rather than dogmatic exclusion of single-sex spaces altogether.

Facing the future: culture change, design innovation and broader impact

Rolling out gender-neutral facilities is not just a technical exercise: it demands cultural change, design innovation, and a visionary mindset.

 
Cultural change: Staff, users and managers must understand this as more than semantics—it’s about creating inclusive environments that respect autonomy, identity and diversity. Gender-neutral design signals to everyone that “all are welcome”.

 
Design innovation: Architects, facility managers and planners should view gender-neutral as a design opportunity—private pods, smart access controls, acoustics, changing-village configurations, multi-function rooms. Smart design will make gender-neutral spaces an amenity, not a concession.

 
Broader impact: The shift to gender-neutral facilities can have ripple effects—normalising non-gendered spaces in society, reducing stigma for trans and non-binary people, enhancing accessibility (since many accessible facilities are already gender-neutral), and demonstrating progressive reform in one domain that can influence others (such as sports, accommodation, shelters).

 
By embedding gender-neutral spaces deeply into our built environment, the state sends a clear message: gender identity is respected; access is inclusive; dignity is upheld.

Challenges and mitigating strategies

Of course, several practical and political obstacles must be addressed:

 
• Budget constraints: Local authorities and public bodies may resist costly upgrades. Mitigation: phased roll-outs, grant programmes, and linking future funding to compliance.

 
• Resistance from stakeholders: Some users, women’s groups or religious groups may oppose gender-neutral rollout for fear of erosion of single-sex protections. 

Mitigation: transparent consultation, option to keep single-sex spaces alongside, robust privacy safeguards.

 
• Legal ambiguity: With the recent ruling, the law on who may use which single-sex space is in flux.

Mitigation: gender-neutral infrastructure sidesteps much of this uncertainty and future-proofs organisations.

• Signage and wayfinding confusion: Without good communication, users may be unsure which facility to use. 

Mitigation: consistent signage, widely publicised definitions of “gender-neutral”, training for staff, feedback processes.

• Safety and design concerns: Improper design might create safety risks or perceptions thereof.

Mitigation: design guidelines making privacy, sight-lines, staff oversight, and incident monitoring integral to gender-neutral spaces.

• Public perception and backlash: Some sectors of society may view the shift to gender-neutral as part of a controversial agenda. 

Mitigation: clear narrative emphasising dignity, inclusion and practicality—not ideology; highlight benefits for all, not just one group.

Conclusion: a call to action

In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling and the legal complexities it introduces for single-sex spaces, the government must move from reactive defence to proactive design.

Implementing gender-neutral facilities wherever possible is not a luxury—it is the most feasible, inclusive and forward-thinking response. It offers a practical pathway to support self-identification in law, respect diverse gender identities, protect privacy and dignity for all users, and build infrastructure fit for 21st-century society.

 
We should think beyond “male” and “female” as the only options for space design, and embrace the third dimension: gender-neutral. Let public buildings, schools, hospitals, workplaces and leisure centres lead the way. Let funding follow. Let communication and training be rolled out. Let design experts prioritise gender-neutral innovation. Let this become a tangible step towards a society that honours every individual’s identity, safety and dignity.

 
The era of rigid, binary single-sex spaces is drawing to a close. The next era is one of gender-neutral access, inclusive architecture and dignity for all. It’s a reform whose time has come—and one that promises not only legal compliance but social progress.