A poster at Sunderland Minster that invited transgender women to use its female toilets has been removed, after its trustees stated they did not support the sign and subsequent social media posts.
The Minster’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) has also apologised “to those who have been upset” and promised a review of policies.
“All women are welcome to use these toilets”, the sign outside the lavatories read, on the background of a trans pride flag.
The now-deleted Facebook post from the Minster criticised the Supreme Court’s “narrow biological line on the definition of sex” in its judgement that ‘woman’ in the Equality Act was based on biological sex. It added that women “who were uncomfortable using our toilets knowing that trans-women are welcome to use them too” could ask a clergy member or volunteer to accompany them.
A code to help public-facing institutions comply with the ruling, produced by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), was laid before parliament in May. It said single-sex spaces, like toilets, must be used on the basis of biological sex.
Canon Clare MacLaren, the Minster’s Provost, defended the policy. She told The Telegraph that “transgender men and women have as much right to privacy, dignity and safety as cis-gender men and women” and that the code was still subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Sunderland Minster’s PCC released a statement on Wednesday, confirming it has met to discuss the post which “challenged” the ruling on biological sex.
The statement said: “The post would not have been supported by the trustees if we had been consulted in advance, nor do we support it retrospectively. It is important that we at Sunderland Minster respect the rule of law, and the poster has since been removed. The social media post has also been deleted.
“We are now consulting with the EHRC for specific advice, and we are reviewing a number of our own internal policies, including our use of social media to ensure that all posts are properly considered and scrutinised before publication. We are in touch with the safeguarding team at the Diocese of Durham to ensure proper safeguarding procedures are being followed.
“We would like to apologise to those who have been upset in the last week. Please be assured that, as a member of the Inclusive Church network, we will continue to offer pastoral care to all.
“Sunderland Minster remains committed to the Inclusive Church network, working to end discrimination and inequality”, the statement concluded.
The Diocese of Durham has previously distanced itself from the Minster. A spokesperson said it “had not consulted about this matter” with the Diocese, which is “ready and willing to support parishes” in implementing the code in historic buildings where there may be challenges.
