Girlguiding says it must exclude trans girls, but I’m raising my daughters to include everyone

They’re in Rainbows and Brownies at the local church in Sedgley, near to where we live. For them, it’s not political. It’s a place where they make things, make friends, and feel like they belong. It’s simple, and it’s meant to be.

That’s why this decision feels so difficult to process as a parent.

I understand that organisations like Girlguiding are responding to legal pressure. The Supreme Court ruling and the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s interim guidance have clearly created uncertainty, and groups are trying to navigate that. But when those decisions reach down into children’s spaces, the impact becomes something much more personal.

Because at ground level, this isn’t about legal definitions. It’s about who gets to stay, and who doesn’t.

I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but it makes me feel sad. Deeply sad. Especially when I think about the direction we seemed to be moving in. Girls can join Scouts. Cubs have long been mixed. The idea, increasingly, has been that young people should be included, not separated.

So this feels like a step backwards.

What troubles me most is the message it sends to children like mine. We spend years teaching them to be kind, to include others, to accept differences without question. It’s one of the simplest and most important lessons we can give them.

But children don’t just learn from what we say. They learn from what they see.

And what they may see here is that belonging can be conditional.

They’ll ask questions, as children always do. “Why can’t she come anymore? What did she do?”

And there isn’t a straightforward answer that sits comfortably alongside the values we try to teach at home.

Because from their perspective, it comes down to something very basic: someone who was part of the group is now being told they’re not.

That’s a hard lesson to explain.

There’s also the wider impact to consider. Support organisations have already reported hearing from young people and families affected by this decision, describing the emotional toll it has taken. That alone underlines how important these spaces are, especially for those who may already feel different or uncertain about where they fit.

The board of trustees said: “Girlguiding's Board of Trustees made the difficult decision in December 2025 that trans girls and young women would no longer be able to join Girlguiding. The decision is based on the current legal framework and advice, and like every charity we have to follow the law.”

For many children, groups like Girlguiding aren’t just activities. They are places of connection, confidence, and identity. Losing that can have a real and lasting impact.

My thoughts are with those young people now facing that loss.

As a parent, I keep coming back to one question: what kind of message do I want my daughters to grow up with?

For me, it has always been about inclusion. About teaching them to welcome others without hesitation, to build friendships without first asking who qualifies to belong.

I appreciate that the legal landscape is complex, and that organisations are making decisions they believe are necessary. But complexity at the top doesn’t change the simplicity of how this is understood by children.

They see who is included. And they see who is not.

And that is why, beyond the headlines and the legal arguments, this moment feels so significant. Because it shapes not just policy, but the quiet lessons children absorb about fairness, belonging, and what it really means to be accepted.

Right now, I’m not sure those lessons are as inclusive as we might hope.