Status: 🔴 Under the leadership of Baroness Kishwer Falkner (2020–2025), the EHRC was weaponized against trans rights despite its statutory mandate to protect equality. Exposed for misleading GANHRI about trans healthcare work.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) in Great Britain, established by the Equality Act 2006. It is responsible for promoting and enforcing equality and non-discrimination laws, including the Equality Act 2010. As the UK’s A-rated National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), it is accredited by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).
Under Baroness Kishwer Falkner’s chairmanship (December 2020 – November 2025), the EHRC underwent a significant shift from its previous trans-inclusive stance toward a gender-critical agenda, drawing widespread criticism from civil society, UN bodies, and GANHRI itself.
Shortly after Falkner’s appointment in 2021, the EHRC withdrew from Stonewall’s Diversity Champions scheme, a move critics argued signaled institutional abandonment of LGBT+ workplace standards.
The EHRC intervened in Forstater v Centre for Global Development Europe to support the position that gender-critical beliefs are protected philosophical beliefs under the Equality Act 2010 — a case that has become a cornerstone of anti-trans litigation strategy in the UK.
Following the UK Supreme Court’s November 2024 ruling narrowing the definition of “sex” in the Equality Act, the EHRC published interim guidance calling for trans people to be banned from single-sex facilities consistent with their gender identity. The guidance was criticized for:
The consultation was later extended to six weeks following legal challenge.
In 2023, the EHRC faced a special review by GANHRI’s Sub-Committee on Accreditation after concerns were raised about its commitment to human rights. The UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (IE SOGI) also called the EHRC out for its failures on trans rights.
In its defense to GANHRI, the EHRC claimed it was developing a “package of work” on trans healthcare in partnership with civil society organizations. However, a 2026 FOI investigation by The Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy (TACC) revealed:
Despite these misrepresentations, GANHRI closed its special review in 2024, allowing the EHRC to retain its A-rating.
In 2025, the National Council for Civil Liberties (Liberty) launched a legal challenge against the EHRC’s consultation process, arguing it was unlawfully rushed.
| Chair | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| David Isaac | 2016–2020 | Previously chaired Stonewall |
| Kishwer Falkner | 2020–2025 | Shifted EHRC to gender-critical agenda |
| Mary-Ann Stephenson | 2025–present | Former Director, Women’s Budget Group / Fawcett Society |