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UK’s largest Freemasons lodge rule trans women can stay members if they joined as men

<em>The United Grand Lodge of England says women should be allowed to remain Freemasons if they joined as men (Instagram/unitedgrandlodgeofengland)</em>
The United Grand Lodge of England says women should be allowed to remain Freemasons if they joined as men (Instagram/unitedgrandlodgeofengland)

The largest UK Freemasons lodge in the UK has ruled that transgender women should be allowed to remain members, provided they joined as men.

The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) said in its new gender reassignment policy that kicking out men who were transitioning to women was ‘unlawful discrimination’.

They added that women who transition to men should also be allowed to become Freemasons, arguing that a Freemason’s gender reassignment should be ‘treated with the utmost compassion and sensitivity’.

<em>The lodge said women who transition to become men should also be allowed to join (Instagram/unitedgrandlodgeofengland)</em>
The lodge said women who transition to become men should also be allowed to join (Instagram/unitedgrandlodgeofengland)
<em>The Freemasons Hall of the United Grand Lodge of England is situated in London (Rex)</em>
The Freemasons Hall of the United Grand Lodge of England is situated in London (Rex)

While the guidance does not state that women are allowed to join the UGLE, there are currently two female-only lodges – the Order of Women Freemasons (OWF) and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (HFAF).

However, all the UGLE’s 200,000 members will still formally be referred to as ‘brothers’, regardless of what gender they identify as.

The document states that they should informally be addressed ‘by the name and title he/she has chosen’.


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It states: ‘If a Freemason who is a member of UGLE wishes to change gender and become a woman, we expect that the Freemason would receive the full support of their brethren…

;A Freemason who after initiation ceases to be a man does not cease to be a Freemason.

‘We expect that Freemasons will act with compassion and sensitivity towards their fellow Freemasons…

<em>Freemasonry has around six million members worldwide (Rex)</em>
Freemasonry has around six million members worldwide (Rex)

A spokesman for the UGLE told the BBC: ‘While there has been no general request for guidance on gender reassignment, questions on the subject are likely to become increasingly common in future, and now appears to be an opportune time to issue general guidance to our members.’

There are around six millions Freemasons worldwide, with prominent members throughout history including Sir Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling.

Lodges are known for the secret handshakes and highly-secretive ceremonies, while members raise millions of pounds for charity.