Book Launch: Sex, Gender Identity and the Law by Michael Foran

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.

About the author:

Michael Foran is Associate Professor of Law and a Fellow of Keble College, where he teaches public law and jurisprudence. He is an expert in equality and anti-discrimination law whose work has been cited by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. He does regular media appearances to explain the law for a public audience and has provided consultation to charities, civil servants, public bodies, and the United Nations. 

Michael writes extensively on all aspects of Public and Equality Law. His work concentrates on constitutional law and philosophy of law, with a particular emphasis on equality before the law, discrimination, and the rule of law. 

Michael holds a PhD in Law from the University of Cambridge, where his doctoral thesis was awarded the Yorke Prize.