A list of resources for supporting trans rights in the UK

It’s been over a month since the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) advised the government to introduce changes to the Equality Act which would strip rights from trans people across the UK. It is one of many attacks on trans rights unfolding in this country and around the world – a situation that gets drastically worse week after week.

The Equality Act was introduced in 2010 to protect people from discrimination. Recently in the UK, the EHRC wrote a letter to equalities minister Kemi Badenoch (who requested the guidance), suggesting changing the definition of sex in the Equality Act to what it calls “biological sex”. This would give people and institutions the power to legally discriminate against trans people and ban them from designated single-sex spaces, like book clubs or hospital wards, essentially allowing for the legal invalidation of trans people’s gender recognition certificates.

While these suggestions are not law yet, anyone with a platform, and particularly those of us who are cis, have to speak out on this proposed change and attacks on trans rights anywhere. Nowhere is this more pertinent than in the creative industry, where transphobic discourse continues to be normalised today. So, here, we’ve worked with our sister company Creative Lives in Progress to collate a list of ways to support trans rights. While this list is far from exhaustive, it highlights a selection of actions you can take, as well as vital organisations that need your ongoing support.

It’s important to note that while the resources below are focused on ways people in the UK can help, anti-trans legislation and transphobia is accelerating on a global scale. This year has broken records for anti-trans bills in the US, with 540 bills being tracked in 49 states, and in March, Uganda passed an unprecedented law making it illegal to identify as LGBTQIA+. Among some of the ways you can support the trans community worldwide include donating to this emergency fundraiser for trans women in Uganda or the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund, pushing back against restrictive anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation across all states.

If you’d like to suggest an addition to this resource list, please email lg@itsnicethat.com with the subject line ‘Trans Rights Resource List’.

Learn

What The Trans!? is a UK-based media platform for trans and non-binary folks. Episode 84 of its podcast discusses proposed changes to the Equality Act. Support the platform here

Trans Safety Network publishes news articles, research and reports analysing institutional and organised harm against trans people in the UK, including in-depth coverage on the EHRC

Trans rights campaigner Jess O’Thomson has penned an article for OpenDemocracy explaining what changes to the Equality Act would mean for trans people

TransActual, a resource sharing facts about trans rights and healthcare, has written an explainer on the 2010 Equality Act

TransActual’s Transition Access Survey 2022 is a report on more than 1,000 trans people’s experiences of accessing (or trying to access) gender-affirming healthcare in the UK, showing a national “failure of trans people on an industrial scale”

Petitions to sign

Commit to not amending the Equality Act’s definition of sex (via UK Government and Parliament Petitions)

Reverse the decision to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill (via UK Government and Parliament Petitions)

Actions

Write to your MP to oppose anti-trans legislation, such as changes to the Equality Act. You can find your local MP and their contact details by typing in your postcode in the parliamentary website. They are able to raise the concerns of their constituents to relevant government ministers – even if they don’t agree with your concerns or represent your political beliefs

Here’s an example letter for writing to your MP to oppose changes to the Equality Act, written by Chay Brown, director of operations at TransActual. Chay recommends making your letter your own and reflecting the stance of the party that your MP represents

Trans Activism, a collective of UK-based trans activists, has collated a list of actions you can take to fight changes to the Equality Act. These include submitting a complaint to the EHRC about its guidance

What The Trans!? has collated a list of ways to fight the review of the Equality Act

Resources

Transgender Action Block has created printable protest resources including a Safety and Etiquette Zine and PDF on Effective Participation in Counter-Demonstrations, outlining how to keep safe, chant effectively and more

Funds

Small Trans Library runs a mutual aid fund to help struggling trans people with groceries

London-based Queens of Peckham Basketball and Testo Hunkie are organising a basketball tournament on 20 May raising funds for gender-affirming healthcare, with a community get-together after. Players of all genders welcome

Trans Mutual Aid Manchester supports trans and non-binary people in Greater Manchester with essential costs such as housing, transport and prescriptions

FiveforFive is a collective crowdfund that shares 100 per cent of donations between five transfem groups or individuals working within the UK each month

Black Trans Foundation is fundraising for the Black Trans Free Therapy Fund, providing free therapy to at least 10 Black Trans people in the UK for a minimum of four months

Transgender NI is raising funds for the Belfast Trans Resource Centre – the only community centre for trans people in the UK and Ireland

Trans Aid Cymru redistributes funds to transgender, non-binary and intersex people to help with the cost of living and healthcare

Organisations to support

TransLeeds supports all transgender, non-binary and gender-expansive people over 18 in Leeds through support groups, social events and binder donations

TransActual UK is an information-sharing resource for trans people, founded by a group of British trans people as a response to increasing press hostility, transphobia and misinformation. The community-run organisation produces research by trans people, shares reliable information and amplifies the voices of the trans community

Transgender Action Block is a group of radical activists dedicated to transgender liberation in Britain. It offers free resources and guidance regarding trans matters in the UK, including important legislation, healthcare information and protest advice, as well as details of upcoming protests and counter-protests on its Instagram. The group welcomes financial contributions to support the work that it does

Trans Activism UK is a collective of UK-based trans activists who organise protests, events and fundraisers. It also runs surveys to understand the trans community’s needs. You can donate to help fund the work that it does here

Gendered Intelligence is a charity that aims to increase understanding of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people. It provides services including staff training on trans inclusion in professional and educational settings, as well as mentoring support for trans youth. You can make one-off or monthly donations to help increase the work it does in these spaces

London Trans+ Pride was founded as a response to the injustices that trans+ people face daily, all over the world. With aims to “celebrate the memory of trans lives taken and uphold the next generation of trans revolutionaries”, it is currently fundraising for London Trans+ Pride 2023 here

Black Trans Alliance C.I.C is a Black queer and trans-led non-profit organisation that supports Black trans and non-binary people in London and across the UK. The organisation runs a Hardship Fund to support with the cost of living, which you can donate to directly or fundraise to help

My Genderation is a film project and training resource that seeks to represent trans people authentically and without the voyeuristic gaze of those who aren’t trans. It also offers engaging, visual and informative training and talks about trans lives to help businesses and organisations connect with trans issues on a human level

Trans Safety Network is a research collective exploring and analysing institutional and organised harm against trans people in the UK. It has compiled academic papers and resources that are useful to understanding and defining terminology found in public discourse. It also offers a media engagement safety guide for trans people who are speaking to the press. You can donate to help fund its research and resources here