THE long-running battle to prove that a woman is simply someone who was biologically born a woman has felt like a basic GCSE biology question.
What is a woman? That should not be a difficult question to answer.
Anybody with a shred of common sense knows that this week’s women’s rights judgement by the Supreme Court is precisely that — a victory for common sense at last.
But the battle by thousands of women who dared to speak out to prove that biological fact, in order to feel safe in single sex spaces and be treated fairly, has been lengthy and ridiculous, often violent and nasty. Now they all deserve an apology.
These heroes include Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who fought endlessly for equality in female sport and in return received a barrage of abuse and even had activists calling her children’s school.
One transgender athlete even posted a photo of Sharron saying “a lot of people would be calling her a man”.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling bravely revealed she was a survivor of domestic abuse and sexual assault as part of her bid to explain her concerns about preserving single sex spaces but for years she has endured terrifying rape and death threats from trans activists.
And the three entitled young stars she helped make famous not only turned their back on Rowling but actually spoke out against her.
I would like to think that one day Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will apologise.
But I doubt it.
There have been the academics threatened with violence, including a professor who was told it was no longer safe for her to teach on her campus.
Scores of others have been assaulted, intimidated, threatened and accused of being anti-trans for simply speaking the truth because they care about women feeling safe.
And there are overworked and underpaid nurses who are still taking legal action because they were forced to share changing rooms with men; one group from Darlington were called bigots for refusing to get changed in front of a transgender colleague who they claim stared at their breasts.
A veteran nurse from Fife was suspended for saying she should not have to share a changing room.
Now the NHS must change how it operates but so too must other public services and private companies because there is no ambiguity in the ruling.
The law is the law.
Some big firms have come out supporting their transgender staff since the ruling.
Why shouldn’t they? This is not an anti-trans battle.
But while executives at Lloyds Bank are pledging “solidarity” with their transgender staff “at this very tough time” they should also be working out how they can provide extra toilets and changing rooms so women can feel safe at work.
The Government too must stop with the wokery.
Sir Keir Starmer famously said it is “not right” to say only women have a cervix and that “99.9 per cent of women . . . haven’t got a penis”.
We knew it was utter nonsense then and we know it now.
Dithering Labour
His government has avoided making vital changes surrounding transgender issues for children that must be addressed now.
The Tories unveiled draft guidance to try to clear up the law around admissions policies for transgender pupils in single sex schools back in 2023.
It says schools could refuse to admit pupils if they are questioning their gender.
Dithering Labour is still deciding whether to implement it.
Wednesday’s historic judgment means that finally single-sex areas such as toilets, hospital wards, refuges and changing rooms must be safe spaces for women.
Now Labour must stop sitting on the fence and provide clear guidance throughout our schools.
Because every girl pupil must feel safe too.
That really is common sense.
Court fails family
THE murder of “bubbly” Tanesha Melbourne-Blake was so shocking that The Sun put up a £50,000 reward to help find her killers.
The 17-year-old was shot in the chest in Tottenham, North London, seven years ago tomorrow – Easter Monday in 2018 – in a drive-by shooting.
And this week the trial of a rapper accused of killing her was halted.
Judge Mark Dennis KC said that issues had arisen in the course of evidence that needed to be “bottomed out”, and now her parents don’t even know if there will be a retrial.
Her mum Sharon Melbourne said outside the Old Bailey that it felt as though the family were “living in a dream”.
But it is a nightmare, and it is disgusting.
No family should have to wait seven years for the chance of justice for their teenage daughter.
ELLIE Costello, 31, says she loves co-hosting on GB News with Eamonn Holmes because she “grew up watching him on telly”, so to sit next to him is apparently a “pinch myself moment”.
It’s also the moment she made her 65-year-old colleague feel as old as the hills.
Would love to have been a fly on the wall the next morning.
Flo’s a no-go
IMAGINE Florence Pugh on a dating app.
This is how she recently sold herself in an interview: “I’m more sympathetic to the people who are in love with me, because it’s not easy.
“I’m tricky – I’m always busy, I can never make dates…I want a family.”
What a catch. Form an orderly queue lads.
Posh has had her cake . . . and not eaten it
EVERYONE loves to pose with a cake on their birthday.
And for her 51st this week, Victoria Beckham was no different.
But unlike us mere mortals, she spent her big day on what looked like a superyacht and held that evil, calorie-filled treat away from her as though it was a deadly weapon.
And as her Instagram pictures showed, she dined on slices of avocado instead of the actual cake.
I wouldn’t have had the willpower.
About tooth hurty
THE hoo-ha over Saturday Night Live poking fun at Aimee Lou Wood’s goofy teeth is starting to get ridiculous.
The White Lotus actress admits she thought the skit was funny until comedian Sarah Sherman appeared wearing exaggerated prosthetic teeth and mocked her accent.
And suddenly, low and behold, Aimee Lou deemed it “mean and unfunny”.
Sarah has sent her flowers, the show has issued an apology and Aimee Lou’s followers have all rallied around her.
Hopefully now the sensitive star has calmed down enough to realise that being impersonated on such a big show is a sure sign you’ve made it.
And maybe it would be best to stop being so precious and just have the last laugh.
Eggs on faces
IF you got burgled, attacked or harassed in London on Thursday and wondered why there was a lack of police officers running to your aid, it could be because they were on an Easter Egg hunt.
Sounds ridiculous but sadly it is true.
Met officers at a counter-terrorism and organised crime unit decided that instead of hunting for criminals they would hunt for eggs.
The Met said it was all part of team-building.
Tell that to all the victims of crime who were ignored while the criminals were able to crack on.
COLIN FARRELL may have had a bad boy reputation in the past but he’s shown this week that he is actually a doting dad.
The actor’s heartbreaking decision to place his 21-year-old son James in a care facility must have been agony.
But being brave enough to speak out will undoubtedly help other parents struggling with the same impossible dilemma.