SU reluctantly registers controversial women’s soc

Article here. Excerpt:

'Cambridge University’s Students’ Union (SU) has sought to distance itself from a gender-critical women’s society after registering the group, saying it was legally obliged to do so despite believing the society “contradicts” its ethos.

Founded in October by three students, the Cambridge University Society of Women (CUSW) describes itself as a group offering a “single-sex environment for women” at the university, with its constitution defining women as “adult human beings belonging to the female sex class,” thereby excluding transgender women.

Over the weekend, the society formally registered with the SU, allowing it to access benefits including Freshers’ Fair stalls.

However, hours after registration, the SU published two explanatory statements on its website – titled ‘The registering of gender-critical societies’ and ‘What role does the Students’ Union play in approving societies’.

Writing “in response to widespread student concerns regarding the rights of our trans students”, its student communities and societies officer, Olivia Ledger, said the SU was bound by its statutory obligations.'