Today we welcome all participants in our solidarity event here in Düsseldorf. We extend our greetings to Berlin, to the Women’s Rights Network, which is organizing the other demonstration in Germany. [A third event took place in Munich, organized by FAM – Frauenaktion München]. Above all, however, we warmly greet the women in the United Kingdom who are taking to the streets today in five cities, as well as our international supporters in Paris and Vienna.
Just as on November 1, 2024, women around the world answered the call of our initiative “Lasst Frauen Sprechen!” and stood in solidarity with women and girls in German when the infamous “Self-Determination Act” came into effect.
Let us recall: Women from 29 countries gathered in front of German embassies and consulates in 39 cities to show their solidarity with us and make it clear to German officials: The world is watching—and it condemns the erosion of women’s rights in Germany. #SelfIdHarms
Today we say to politicians in the United Kingdom: The world is watching you, too!
A year ago, our sisters in the UK achieved a major victory:
On April 16, 2025, the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom delivered a historic ruling. It clarified that the terms “sex,” “woman,” and “man” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex—and nothing else. This is what any basic course on sex actually teaches!
No interpretation, no ideology, and no wishful thinking can change that.
The ruling itself is already applicable law. But a ruling alone is not enough to ensure it is enforced everywhere.
The legally established, independent UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has already developed clear, unambiguous guidelines in the form of a statutory code of conduct. This detailed code of conduct has been on the desk of the responsible Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, for months.
It is now her responsibility to review and approve this code. Afterward, the government must submit it to Parliament. Parliament then has 40 days to review it. Only if Parliament does not object will the code come into effect and provide all institutions—women’s shelters, sports associations, service providers, and government agencies—with concrete, legally binding guidelines on how to finally and consistently implement the Supreme Court ruling.
To date, Bridget Phillipson has failed to take this crucial step. #OneYearLater
Without this code of conduct, many institutions remain uncertain or deliberately ignore the court’s clarification. Although clear rules have long been in place, the minister has been holding them back. Instead of finally releasing them, women’s rights activists are being let down and forced to laboriously report every single violation of their rights as an individual case and fight it out in court. Is this a deliberate tactic of attrition: sabotaging the implementation of the court ruling to drive women into an endless, exhausting battle?
That is why, together with our British sisters, we are speaking out loud and clear today:
„Secretary Phillipson – do your job!“
„Bridget Phillipson – do your job!“
