Waltham Forest's council leader has put his name to an open letter describing new guidance on single-sex spaces as something that "will feel like an attack" on trans+ people.

Councillor Paul Perkins joined Green council leaders from Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark in writing to Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson on Wednesday (5th August), the day the guidance was published.

The code of practice, issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, says trans people should use either gender-neutral facilities or the ones matching their biological sex in places such as gym changing rooms and rape crisis centres. The EHRC published it following a Supreme Court judgment last year which ruled that "sex" in the Equality Act refers to sex assigned at birth.

The leaders asked Phillipson to clarify that the code "must not be used to exclude trans people from services", and warned that their own staff could be placed at risk of "inadvertent discrimination" in situations where no third spaces are available to trans residents.

"We say this to you in no uncertain terms: Trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are fundamentally valid," the letter reads.

"It is simply unacceptable that the code of practice introduced today is harmful to the rights of trans people and will make their exclusion from public life more likely, not less. This will feel like an attack to the countless trans people in our communities who are simply trying to live their lives in safety and wish to be treated with respect."

The leaders describe their boroughs as "proud to be boroughs of sanctuary, with significant LGBTQ+ communities", adding that they are "committed to being safe, welcoming and inclusive places for all residents, regardless of their background or identity" and hold "an unshakeable commitment to ensuring that Trans+ residents can access services safely, with dignity and free from discrimination or harassment".

The letter also points to the government's own equalities impact assessment, which it says acknowledges "a real risk trans+ people could face exclusion, discrimination, or difficulties accessing services if organisations misinterpret the ruling, based on appearance alone". Overly broad enforcement, the leaders argue, "can, and will, lead to trans and non-trans people alike being challenged and excluded from services and facilities".

The government has said the code "gives organisations clear, workable guidance which will enable them to take a pragmatic approach to protecting and serving the needs of our society", and supports service providers "in ensuring they can make practical, and ultimately sensible decisions for every day scenarios, such as toilet provision".

Trans organisations have called the advice "chaotic and cruel". Earlier this summer more than 100 parliamentarians, among them Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy, called for the updated EHRC code to be disapproved, saying it would "exclude trans people" and was "unworkable".

The borough's position follows a motion passed at full council on Thursday 16th July, in which the Green-run administration declared that "trans women are women and trans men are men" and committed to expanding trans-inclusive policies across Waltham Forest. The motion criticised the potentially "invasive" nature of asking people their biological sex, and stated that the belief "trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are valid" is "consistent with, and not in conflict with, the council's commitment to equality for all residents".

As a result, mandatory equalities training will be introduced for staff and councillors, with the corporate director of culture and workforce development instructed to "ensure that trans awareness and inclusion form part of mandatory equalities training for all staff and elected members".