ITV’s This Morning star Ashley James has resigned as a Girlguiding ambassador due to its recent ban on trans girls.
On Tuesday (2 December), national governing charity Girlguiding, which oversees girl guide groups in the UK, announced it had made the “difficult decision” to ban all trans girls from its groups, citing the controversial April 2025 Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of ‘sex’.
Condemnation of the decision has been wide-ranging and swift, with a petition published just hours after the announcement already amassing thousands of signatures.
A spokesperson for Girlguiding confirmed to PinkNews that the ban does not impact trans boys, who can still join its groups, which include Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, and Rangers.
In response, James, who has been previously praised for shutting down people who take issue with the word “woke”, saying it’s “only a good thing”, has announced she has resigned as a Girlguiding ambassador.
Continuing her allyship, James took to Instagram on Wednesday (3 December) to share a statement that explained she is “devastated” by the organisation’s decision to exclude trans girls.
“I am truly heartbroken for the trans community”
She continued: “Some of those girls and their families have now found themselves caught in the crossfire of culture wars they never asked to be part of.
“I am truly heartbroken for the trans community who simply want to live their lives, be included, and have access to safe, supportive spaces. Trans girls experience the same threats as other women and girls – they are not a threat to us. They are our sisters”.
She added that she will be stepping down from her ambassador role with “immediate effect” and will continue to stand with her “trans sisters today and always”.
“Inclusion makes us all stronger, and I will continue to use my voice to fight for a world where every girl – cis or trans – grows up knowing she belongs,” she concluded.
James is friends with trans journalist India Willoughby, who she comforted in 2018 after Willoughby got into a heated debate around trans dating while in the Celebrity Big Brother house. “Love is greater than a label,” James assured Willoughby.
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