Sex matters in life and in law.
It shouldn’t take courage to say so.
Clarity about sex is crucial for safeguarding everybody’s human rights.
We are campaigning to establish that sex matters in rules, laws, policies, language and culture. We aim to:
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1
Establish clarity on single sex services
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2
Enable people to speak up
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3
Make debate possible
What we do

- We lobby for clarity on sex in law and institutions.
- We publish research, guidance and analysis.
- We support and mobilise people to speak up.
- We hold organisations accountable.
Our principles
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Reality
There are two sexes: female and male. People shouldn’t be afraid to say this.
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Clarity
Organisations and governments should be clear about the sexes and where sex matters.
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Human rights
Everybody’s human rights matter, including private life, freedom of beliefs and speech.
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Democracy
A cohesive society depends on open debate and evidence-based policy making.
Updates
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What is new in the EHRC guidance?
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has today released updated technical guidance on the Equality Act for schools in...
22nd September 2023
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Campaign update and appeal
Sex Matters is campaigning for the government to make a one-line change to the law to make clear that...
22nd September 2023
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Sex and gender: a contemporary reader
Two directors of Sex Matters, Michael Biggs and Emma Hilton, have contributed chapters to Sex and Gender: A Contemporary...
18th September 2023
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EHRC to correct inaccurate schools guidance
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to us to confirm that it is undertaking a rapid review...
17th September 2023