We need the compassion of Jesus to approach the topic of gender-neutral toilets in schools

As six schools in Scotland have been ordered to provide single-sex facilities, Michelle Tant considers how girls going through puberty might be otherwise affected.

The latest ruling in the often-thorny conversation of sex and gender is in Scotland, where primary schools have been ordered to provide single sex toilets; the case instigated by parents with firm convictions on the benefits of that provision.

This follows on the heels of the Supreme Court judgement in April defining ‘woman’ as only referring to biological sex, with implications for various circumstances including single biological sexed spaces. The legal and practical ramifications are likely to continue to be worked out over the coming months across the country. However, in terms of the single-sex toilets aspect, the interim guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) states that trans people should not be left without toilet facilities they feel comfortable and safe to use, in alignment with the Equality Act of 2010, which prohibits discrimination based on gender reassignment.