Closed petition Restrict ability to restrict membership on the basis of a shared characteristic

Closed on 16 May 2021

The Equality Act 2010 “single characteristic associations” exemption should be limited or removed in the context of libraries and library membership. Thus, prohibiting the establishment of sex-based restrictions to libraries; as is the case with the men-only Garrick Club and its library.

Established in 1831 the Garrick Club private members formation, hosts a vast reserve of creative and cultural industry memorabilia within its Garrick Library and arts collection. While within the Equality Act 2010 “single characteristic associations” exemption, the applicability of the latter to the Garrick Library is ambiguous. The Government needs to reform the Equality Act 2010 and remove libraries from the “single characteristic associations” exemption.