Britain's biggest bank has pledged solidarity with its transgender staff after a landmark Supreme Court ruling which determined sex-based discrimination laws should only apply to biological women.
Executives at Lloyds Bank, which serves one in two British adults, have vowed to support transgender employees during what they called a "very tough time".
Hours after the judgment, Andrew Walton, Lloyds's chief corporate affairs director, posted a message of support on the bank's intranet.
"Thought I would come on here today with a note of support for our trans and non-binary colleagues on what I know will be an unsettling day following the UK Supreme Court decision," he wrote on Lloyds's Rainbow network.
Lloyds Bank serves one in two British adults
PA
"Please know that we cherish and celebrate you and we remain committed to inclusivity."
Walton also encouraged line managers to "be mindful of the potential impact on members of your team and be available to them," adding: "We are here to listen and support."
Sharon Doherty, the chief people and places officer at Lloyds, responded to Walton's message with strong support.
"Very well said... Standing in solidarity at this very tough time," she wrote.
Both Walton and Doherty are senior leaders at the bank, and sit on a 14-person executive committee headed by CEO Charlie Nunn.
MORE ON THE SUPREME COURT RULING:
- LGB Alliance hails ‘beginning of the end’ as trans Supreme Court decision prompts police change
- Supreme Court landmark ruling hailed by Labour health minister: 'Real clarity for women!'
- Supreme Court's ruling on women will 'take a while to be dismantled' despite 'common sense victory': 'It's biological reality!'
Gender-critical campaigners outside the Supreme Court after it ruled sex-based discrimination laws should only apply to biological women
PA
But one ex-Lloyds employee who saw the messages has blasted the executives for wading into the trans debate.
"If you are the chief people officer, this is a political matter - which has very strong feelings on both ideas," they said.
"It is risky. What about the women who are fighting for their rights? Employers should look after everybody."
The ex-employee also noted that the bank had previously made it clear that trans staff could use the toilet facilities most comfortable to them.
Lloyds Bank declined to comment on the current situation.
TRANS NEWS - READ MORE:
The bank's stance on trans issues has previously drawn criticism after it offered free counselling to its 30,000 employees after comments by Kemi Badenoch and Rishi Sunak at the 2023 Conservative Party conference
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The bank's stance on trans issues has previously drawn criticism after it offered free counselling to its 30,000 employees after comments by Kemi Badenoch and Rishi Sunak at the 2023 Conservative Party conference.
Badenoch had said she would not apologise for "fighting for a society that knows what a woman is".
While Sunak had added: "A man is a man, and a woman is a woman; that's just common sense."
In response to these comments, Sarah Underhill, then human resources director at Lloyds Bank, sent an email to employees saying she was "appalled to hear the rhetoric coming from the Conservative Party conference this week, targeting the trans and non-binary community".
