Somerville first college to speak out since Supreme Court trans ruling

Somerville College affirmed its solidarity with trans students in a statement today. 

The intervention makes Somerville the first Oxford college to react publicly to the Supreme Court’s April ruling on the legal definition of a woman. Only the central University had previously published an update which noted they were “carefully reviewing [our] policies and practices concerning transgender inclusion and equality… [including] existing facilities across our estate”. 

Somerville’s statements highlighted that the college’s “ethos has always been and will always be to include the excluded”. 

It continued: “As an inclusive community, we see trans rights and women’s rights not in opposition to each other, but as part of the same struggle for dignity, equality, and human rights that we are proud to support”. 

They nonetheless recognised that “naturally [we] will always uphold the law”. 

The statement comes after a motion passed by students in the newly-established Conference of Commons Rooms (CCR) urging the University not to adopt “regressive” changes to trans policies. During discussion over this motion, concerns were raised over the possibility of colleges taking different approaches from one another. Some suggested this would only exacerbate the uncertainty for trans students. 

At the start of term, hundreds of students, staff, and local residents took to the streets of Oxford to protest the Supreme Court’s decision. 

The University has said it is awaiting an updated code of practice from the Equality and Human Rights Commissions (EHRC), due to be published by the end of June. Somerville acknowledged that some students would be “feeling fear and uncertainty” ahead of these new guidelines. 

The college additionally promised to meet with transgender students and staff to discuss next steps for support. The statement reiterated that their commitments to championing “the rights and freedoms” of trans and non-binary would not change with the Supreme Court’s judgment. 

Somerville JCR was contacted for comment.