"It is a pretty niche issue" — Russell Brand opines on NY Times piece claiming UK Court's judgement on transwomen affects their rights

On his podcast Stay Free with Russell Brand, which aired on Rumble, British actor and comedian Russell Brand responded to a New York Times article. It reported on a recent UK Court ruling that defined the word "women" as referring to "biological" s*x or "certified" s*x.

On April 20, 2025, Russell Brand uploaded a clip of the podcast on X, captioned:

"The Supreme Court in Britain has ruled that trans women do NOT fall within the legal definition of women under the country's equality legislation. Here are my thoughts"

The New York Times noted that this judgment could have major consequences, potentially affecting access to women-only domestic violence shelters and impacting equal pay between men and women.

Russell Brand questioned why the New York Times chose to use this "extreme" and "highly specific" example about trans women being beaten and denied access to a domestic violence shelter.

He described the example as "intricate" and "granular," arguing:

"It is a pretty niche issue."

Brand criticized the statement for being used as a "moral argument" rather than a balanced legal analysis, as presented by The New York Times.

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"We are made in the image of God" — Russell Brand reflects on transgender rights and human rights

The Get Him to the Greek star further argued that transgender rights are ultimately human rights, stating, "we are made in the image of God." He emphasized that all humans, regardless of their gender, have inherent rights.

Russell Brand promotes the principle of "non-judgment" and "love," suggesting that these principles should guide our actions, especially in situations that do not involve us directly. He also implied that the law should focus more on "biological categories" to maintain consistency and clarity.

Reflecting on the article, Brand further stated:

"What's interesting about this piece of analysis is you can already see the biases in this hypothetical situation being conjured up by The New York Times."

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The UK Court's judgement on transwomen rights

International Transgender Day Of Visibility - (Image via Getty)

On April 16, the UK Supreme Court ruled that under the Equality Act of 2010 (an anti-discrimination law), the word "women" refers to "biological" s*x or "certified" s*x.

The Court's decision came after For Women Scotland (FWS), a women's rights group, argued that s*x-based protections should be applied to people who are assigned female at birth.

Meanwhile, the Scottish government disagreed, saying that transgender individuals with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) "are entitled to the same s*x-based protections as biological women," as reported by the BBC.

Announcing the verdict, Deputy President of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Patrick Hodge, stated:

"The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and s*x in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological s*x. But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not."

According to the Guardian, the decision could impact rules about gender in "sports, armed services, hospitals, as well as women-only charities, and access to changing rooms and women-only spaces."

However, Lord Hodge assured that transwomen still have "equal pay rights as women" and "could have the right to be treated as women in some situations."

As reported by The New York Times, Lord Hodge continued:

“It is not the task of this court to make policy on how the interests of these groups should be protected, but to ascertain the meaning of the legislation which Parliament has enacted.”

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While prominent figures like J.K. Rowling have expressed support for the verdict, others, including Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, have voiced their disappointment.