A ruling by the highest court in Britain declaring that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex has been welcomed by Christians.
Peter Lynas, UK director of the Evangelical Alliance, said the landmark ruling was a sign that "the vibe shift is real" - a reference to the increasing sense that a cultural shift is underway from strident progressive ideology.
There were scenes of celebration outside the Supreme Court as the ruling was handed down, making clear that transgender 'women' do not fall within the scope of what it means to be a woman in legal terms.
In a video shared on his X account, Lynas, a former barrister, said the ruling brought much-needed "clarity" to an area that has become highly contested in recent years. He said that women have "regained" their hard-won rights.
"The vibe shift is real - I don't think this decision would have been made two or three years ago," he said. "I think this is reflective of the continuing shift in our culture towards things like reality."
He expects the judgment to have "big implications" for policy in businesses and workplaces but he also encouraged Christians to see it as a "missional moment" to have conversations with their colleagues about what it might mean.
The victory was secured by For Women Scotland after they took on the Scottish government and trans activists over the legal definition of a woman and their insistence that trans women be given the same sex-based rights as women under law.
The judgment has been welcomed by campaigners and feminists who have spent years challenging the encroaching access of trans-identifying biological males to female spaces.
JK Rowling said she was "proud" of For Women Scotland: "It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK."
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said, "Saying 'trans women are women' was never true in fact and now isn’t true in law, either. A victory for all of the women who faced personal abuse or lost their jobs for stating the obvious."
Scottish First Minister John Swinney said that the Scottish government "accepts today’s Supreme Court judgment".
"The ruling gives clarity between two relevant pieces of legislation passed at Westminster," he said.
“We will now engage on the implications of the ruling. Protecting the rights of all will underpin our actions.”
A spokesperson for the UK government said: “We have always supported the protection of single-sex spaces based on biological sex.
“This ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs.
“Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government.”
