European Parliament Passes Resolution That Confirms Trans Women Are Women

In a rare bout of good news, the European Parliament has passed a vote calling for the recognition of trans women, as part of a wider resolution outlining the European Union’s priorities for the upcoming UN Commission on the Status of Women, the principal global body dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights worldwide.

Members of the European Parliament backed the non-binding text by 340 votes to 141, with 68 abstentions.

The resolution included protections for abortion access and opposition to online hate speech targeting women, as well as a call for the full recognition of transgender women as women, emphasising “the importance of the full recognition of trans women as women, noting that their inclusion is essential for the effectiveness of any gender-equality and anti-violence policies; call for recognition of and equal access for trans women to protection and support services”.

The broader LGBTQIA+ communities are mentioned in  other parts of the resolution, calling for a “comprehensive tool to monitor and counter democratic backsliding and backsliding in women’s rights.” It also warns of “attacks by anti-gender and anti-rights movements” that “undermine democracy and target women’s and LGBTIQ+ rights”.

As reported on Erin in the Morning, the vote gathered support not only from left-leaning groups but also from the majority of the European People’s Party, the largest and most powerful centre-right bloc in the European Parliament. This drew “sharp criticism from the far right”, including the Patriots for Europe group which includes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, who voted against the resolution and denounced its exclusion from negotiations over the text. The European Conservatives and Reformists, the group of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, also voted against.

European Parliament resolutions are not legally binding. However, they often shape the EU’s negotiating position at international forums. The resolution will now inform discussions between EU institutions ahead of negotiations in New York.