When Southwark Council blocked a lawful female-only space, they turned it into a test of the law itself.

About this case

In March 2025, I applied to convert a disused Southwark railway arch into the UK’s first female‑only lesbian community venue, fully lawful under Schedule 3 of the Equality Act 2010: same‑sex only, necessary for privacy and dignity, no mixed‑sex access, designed for workshops, fitness, community‑building, and social events.

Southwark Council rejected the application with no lawful reason. Their own planning documents show control of hundreds of railway arches for cultural and community use. They have granted arches to LGBTQ+ groups, yet refused a female‑only lesbian space. When challenged, they contradicted their own policy trail.

This was not a neutral refusal. It was institutional exclusion, dressed up as process.

Why this matters

This is the first UK legal challenge to test Schedule 3 for a female‑only lesbian space – and, if won, it will be recorded as the case that forced councils to obey the law they claim to uphold.

It is also the first Schedule 3 test case since the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland Ltd ruling in 2025, which confirmed that ‘woman’ in law means biological sex – and a landmark fight to prove that Schedule 3 protects women‑only spaces in practice, not just on paper.

If successful, this case will set a binding precedent: councils must apply Schedule 3 equally when allocating public assets, even when the service is politically inconvenient.

For every women’s group denied space while mixed‑sex or male‑inclusive services are funded, this ruling will force a reversal.

Legal foundation

• Schedule 3 Equality Act 2010 permits female‑only services where needed for privacy, safety, or dignity
  
  
• For Women Scotland Ltd (Supreme Court, 2025) confirmed that 'woman' in law means biological sex
  
  
• Section 149 Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to eliminate discrimination and advance equality
  
  

Southwark’s refusal breached this duty.

Who I am

I am the founder of L Community, the UK’s only lesbian network exclusively for women. For a decade I have built real‑world lesbian spaces from the ground up, growing them into a national community infrastructure project.

As a qualified public‑sector town planner, I know how councils allocate space. This decision broke with that logic. The only 'error' was insisting that lesbian rights be enforced in practice.

Everything I have built complies with the law. If that is not enough, then the law no longer protects us.

What this fund will do

This fund is directly connected to a UK law firm with a national reputation for winning high-profile equality and human rights cases. Once the £45,000 target is reached, the firm's name will appear on this page.

Your support will cover solicitor engagement, legal evidence collation, barrister briefing, formal correspondence, and pre-action protocol, leading to court proceedings against Southwark Council under the Equality Act. It will also support linked legal work on connected events and rights breaches arising from my work to establish lawful women-only lesbian spaces.

All funds will be paid directly into my solicitor's client account. I will receive no personal benefit

What happens next

Legal proceedings are now in motion. The next move takes this fight to the highest level of public law challenge – a full judicial review – forcing Southwark Council to answer in court for blocking a lawful female-only lesbian space. This is the line in the sand: either councils are held to the law, or every women’s group in the UK stands undefended.

All updates will be published via this page and www.thelcommunity.com.