Sex, Gender Identity and the Law
Published on 7. May 2026
Book
Hardback
372 pages
978-1-009-64632-1 (ISBN)
Description
Over the last century, UK law has moved from endorsing, and in some cases mandating, unjust sex discrimination to a robust framework of distinct protections for women and girls. At the same time, our law has extended anti-discrimination protections to people who undergo gender reassignment, culminating in a system where individuals can change their legally recognised sex for some purposes. Sometimes the interests of these two groups conflict, most notably where the law must differentiate based on biological sex in contexts where those with transgender identities wish to be classed by reference to gender identity instead. For a time, there was uncertainty over the precise interaction between these competing interests within equality law. In 2025 this was resolved in a landmark case brought by the feminist organisation For Women Scotland. This book traces the history of how sex changed within our law and what that means for ongoing controversies over single-sex spaces, freedom of belief, freedom of expression, privacy, sport, and sexual intimacy.
Reviews / Votes
'This is an excellent book. I cannot think of a better person than FORAN Michael Foran to have written it. The controversies that cloud so much of the discussion on the relationship between sex and gender are dealt with in this book in a principled way. This is not merely a recounting of the law but a fresh and compelling analysis of it.' Karon Monaghan 'This commendably lucid book brings much-needed clarity and rigour to this topic. The quality of public debate in this area will be enriched and improved by this analysis, which combines scholarly nuance with an accessible and engaging style.' Mark Elliot, Public Law, University of Cambridge 'Michael Foran has resoundingly achieved his aim of providing a comprehensive and accessible account of the law as it relates to sex and gender. This book examines ongoing controversies in this area with much-needed care and rigour. It will be illuminating for general readers and should be indispensable for any practitioner in the field.' Ben Cooper 'This book represents a significant addition to legal scholarship. To produce such a detailed, well-written and informative account of such a complex and fast-changing area of law is a notable achievement.' Ronan McCrea, Constitutional and European Law, University College LondonMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
624 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-64632-1 (9781009646321)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Michael Foran
Sex, Gender Identity and the Law
Book
04/2026
Cambridge University Press
Unfortunately, price unknown
The article will not be published
Person
Michael Foran is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Keble College, Oxford. His work was cited by the UK Supreme Court in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers, which clarified the meaning of sex in the Equality Act 2010. Previous work of his informed the UK government veto of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill due to the adverse effect that self-identification of sex would have on the operation of the Equality Act 2010. His first book, Equality Before the Law: Equal Dignity, Wrongful Discrimination and the Rule of Law (2023) was based on his PhD thesis, which won the Yorke Prize from the University of Cambridge.
Content
Introduction; 1. Biological Sex; 2. Transsexual; 3. Transgender; 4. Sex in the Supreme Court; 5. Single-Sex Spaces; 6. Gender Critical Belief; 7. Manifestation; 8. The Limits of Manifestation; 9. Pronouns; 10. Keeping Sex Private; 11. Sex By Deception; 12. Sport.