About GATE

On Tuesday 2nd December 2025, Girlguiding announced that trans girls and young women would no longer be allowed to join the organisation in the UK. Many people were hurt by this and felt angry and betrayed. Out of this, GATE was created, and a community was born.

The government has pushed through harmful guidance which came into effect on August 5th 2026, following the Supreme Court ruling in April 2025, which has led to multiple organisations, Girlguiding included, revoking their trans inclusive policies.

So what actually is GATE?

Well, Guiders Against Trans Exclusion, or GATE for short, is an unincorporated association made up of Girlguiding volunteers, parents and allies who joined together following the decision in December 2025. We are a community of like-minded people working together to campaign for protections for trans-inclusive organisations through political advocacy, awareness initiatives, and public protests.

We are not affiliated with Girlguiding, however, our core values are based around the promise many of us have made in the organisation. We are a strictly 18+ organisation to protect both young people and our members. We are working on ways to support younger members while ensuring there is adequate safeguarding. One of the ways they can stay involved is by reading what we’re up to here on this blog! They can also follow us on social media.

Our mission statement:

GATE was formed out of the belief that organisations like Girlguiding should be trans inclusive, and as such, we demand legislation that protects their ability to do so.

Since our founding in December 2025, we have discovered that the scope and presence of our community and action have continued to grow beyond our initial mission; therefore, we continue to update our mission statement to better reflect the most recent EHRC guidelines and the broader spectrum of work that GATE is currently involved with as we develop.

However, the three pillars of our work remain the same and are as follows:

To campaign for statutory guidance that protects trans rights and trans inclusive organisations
To publicly and vocally stand in solidarity with the trans community
To urge organisations such as Girlguiding to explore every possible route within the evolving legal framework to be trans inclusive

It is with these motivations and our love for all in our communities that we take action to protest and campaign against the harmful decisions currently taking place across the UK.

Why are we needed?

In the current social and political climate, many people, especially those who are trans+ or gender non-conforming, are scared and uncertain, feeling like they’ve been suddenly shut out of their safe spaces and have lost their sense of belonging. Through GATE’s actions, we are making people feel safe and welcome once again, even if it looks a little different.

Many of our members are trans, including people who are nonbinary, genderqueer, genderfluid, agender and more, and we want to make sure these people are protected moving forward. GATE is a space for these people to belong and to find support, and we have had multiple testimonies of people grateful to have this community.

We’re incredibly proud of the community we have been able to create in such a short space of time, which demonstrates the strength of feeling within the Girlguiding membership. Inclusion is a core part of Guiding and Scouting, with our promises telling us to do our best and help other people.

What is next?

We are determined that trans girls and women will have their safe spaces once again. We are petitioning the government as there is a clear lack of legal clarity and sufficient guidance, while speaking directly to organisations impacted. We have letter templates for people to send to their MPs, including devolved parliaments. We will be using this website as well as social media to share resources and campaigns as we move towards this goal.

You can find out more about what we have been up to already and what else is planned by following us on social media: on Instagram @guidersagainsttransexclusion, on TikTok @guidingforall, on Bluesky @guidersfortrans.bsky.social, on YouTube @GuidersAgainstTransExclusion, and on Facebook Guiders Against Trans Exclusion - GATE. You can also sign up for newsletters at the bottom of any page on this website.