Tens of thousands of women sign 'Not in Our Name' open letter
The campaign challenges claims that most women support the exclusion of trans people, in light of April's Supreme Court ruling
Last updated 19th Nov 2025
More than sixty thousand women across the UK have signed an open letter backing the trans community, with campaigners aiming to reach one hundred thousand signatures by Christmas.
The grassroots "Not in Our Name" (NION) movement, which launched back in May, says it’s challenging claims that most women support excluding trans people, and hopes its message will refocus attention on real threats to women’s safety.
High-profile women including singer Kate Nash, Beverley Knight, and MP Carla Denyer are among those supporting the letter, which started gaining momentum earlier this year after the Good Law Project provided a dedicated website.
Organisers say the majority of women want everyone, including trans people, to be treated with dignity and respect - calling the campaign their way of amplifying 'a voice that's been missing' from the conversation.
A 'significant number of people' who feel differently
Speaking to Hits Radio Pride, Jacqui said: "In the '80s and 90s, where we had so much homophobia... for those of us who lived through this period of time, and look at what's happening now, it feels like, suddenly, we're going backwards again.
"Our message is that we are here, please listen to us, and we should have a voice in these discussions.
"That goes with our message here, with this open letter, and also things like April's Supreme Court ruling on gender - and the guidance, which is yet to be officially published by the EHRC.
"So, many of the people who we want to sign this letter, and who have already signed this letter, are not in a space where they are actively going out and promoting this message.
"We want to be able to show those who have influence over situations of incidents of abuse and scapegoating that there is a significant number of people who feel differently."
The collective supports trans inclusion in everyday life: access to appropriate healthcare, legal recognition, safe use of public facilities, and protection from discrimination in employment and housing - fundamental rights that should be available to all.
While the collective acknowledges that gender-critical women are within their rights to hold their views, it believes it is vital that these are not positioned as the views of all women.
The campaign also highlights key stats:
- One woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK (based on data from Femicide Census)
- 1.7 million women experienced domestic abuse in 2023 (based on ONS data)
- 98% of those convicted of sexual offences are men (based on ONS / Rape Crisis data)
NION Women want a 'kinder, more inclusive society'
Also from the organisation, Debora added: "One of the pillars of NION Women is that we do want a kinder, more inclusive, society - and that's exactly what this open letter is all about.
"We are there to offer a space to women, who really don't buy into a world which excludes a segment of society.
"We simply just want inclusion of everybody.
"In a debate, there is a winner and a loser, and in this case, for us, that's not what we see it as.
"This is a discussion, which is worth all of our time to talk about.
"We need trans people in power, representing the rights of the community, and at the moment, this clearly isn't happening.
"So, what needs to happen next is that everyone needs to be reflected in society.
"Politicians need to take this point seriously and start to do the work that will make women, more generally, feel safer in society.
"And if this happens, what we'll see is women being less fearful of outside influences like trans people, because the real source of the harm will be identified and dealt with - and as next steps from this letter, that would be a really positive thing."
'The letter is a simple tool'
A spokesperson for the NION Women collective added: "Certain media outlets, as well as politicians, have taken the position of a minority who do not support the inclusion of trans people and pitched it as the position of women overall. This is something we absolutely reject.
"We believe that the voice of everyday women, who fundamentally believe all humans should have access to certain spaces and be treated with dignity and respect, is missing from the conversation. The letter is a simple tool through which we can demonstrate that the majority of women do not want to see the trans community scapegoated."
"We know that women face considerable challenges, but statistically, it's not the trans community that are causing the problems.
"All we ask is that we place the focus back on the things that are really harming women."
'We are clear there are laws in place to protect trans people'
A Government spokesperson said: "The UK has long championed the rights of LGBT+ people at home and abroad. We proudly uphold one of the most expansive legislative frameworks in the world.
"The Government supports dignity and respect for everyone and we are clear that there are laws in place to protect trans people from discrimination and harassment."
The Government add that they are 'clear' in their mission to halve the number of violence against women in a decade - and are working to bring forward legislation to ban conversion practices and strengthening protections against hate crime.
You can find out more about NION Women on their website.
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