Trans people in the UK face a rising tide of discriminatory behaviour and prejudice which is creating a “hostile environment” impeding access to healthcare and damaging mental health, according to a major new report.
Describing the situation as a “crisis”, in which trans people in the UK are “being catastrophically failed”, Trans Actual UK, an advocacy organisation focused on healthcare and legal protections for trans people, said: “Hundreds of thousands of trans people have seen the degradation of their human rights protections” over the past decade, and are now calling for government action.
Trans Actual surveyed over 4,000 trans people in Britain aged 18 to 81, and found rising levels of transphobia are having a profound effect on the wellbeing and daily lives of trans people.
The survey, which is the largest in-depth survey of the UK trans population to date, revealed that almost every respondent – 99 per cent of the 4,008 people surveyed – said that hostile or negative media coverage had affected their mental health or intensified their gender dysphoria.
Meanwhile, 99 per cent also said they have heard politicians express transphobic views.
Nearly half described the impact as major, underscoring how sustained public debate and negative portrayals can translate into personal distress.
The survey was conducted before a major Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act must be interpreted as referring to biological sex, a judgment with far‑reaching implications for how equality law is applied in the UK.
The case centred on whether someone with a Gender Recognition Certificate should be treated as a woman under the 2010 Equalities Act, and came after a series of legal challenges brought by the campaign group For Women Scotland, backed by Harry Potter author JK Rowling. Amnesty International UK described the ruling as “disappointing” with “potentially concerning consequences for trans people”.
Participants in the survey reported that media‑driven transphobia has increasingly shaped how they are treated by others in their everyday lives. Large majorities believed that negative coverage had influenced the behaviour of strangers (96 per cent), family members (91 per cent), colleagues (85 per cent) and friends (74 per cent).
For many, this has translated into feeling less safe in public, under-supported at home, and more exposed to prejudice in workplaces and social settings.
The effects were even more pronounced among those who had directly experienced transphobia. Among respondents who reported facing transphobia from family members in the past year, 98 per cent also believed that media narratives had influenced how their relatives treated them.
This suggests a reinforcing cycle in which public hostility and personal discrimination feed into one another, deepening the impact on those already facing stigma.
Other findings include that many trans people avoid seeking medical help, with 64 per cent of respondents saying they would not contact their GP even when unwell.
Furthermore, almost two-thirds of respondents reported household earnings under £30,000 a year, and a quarter had experienced homelessness.
“The current environment for trans people in the UK is extremely concerning,” said co-authors of the report, Freddy Sperring and Dr Trent Grassian.
“Decisions about trans people’s lives are increasingly based entirely on the testimony of non-trans people.”
They added: “Trans people are enduring unliveable conditions in what amounts to a domestic human rights crisis. The UK government has an urgent responsibility to recommit itself to defending trans people’s human rights.”
A key issue raised by respondents was the difficulty in acquiring ID that reflects their gender.
A Gender Recognition Certificate allows people’s affirmed or “acquired” gender to be legally recognised in the UK, and means trans people can update birth or adoption certificates.
But only 13 per cent of respondents said they were able to update their ID without any difficulty. The vast majority reported being unable to secure gender‑congruent documents, citing barriers such as high costs, complex bureaucracy and the absence of gender‑neutral options.
These barriers have far‑reaching consequences. Without accurate ID, respondents described heightened risks to their privacy, greater difficulty securing employment, and increased exposure to harassment and discrimination in everyday situations.
Given the high court ruling passed down since the survey was conducted, the authors suggested the impact was that “things will have significantly worsened if we were to undertake the same survey now”.
Campaigners have suggested they may challenge the ruling, taking a case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Last month, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party was accused of “pitching for the votes of misogynists, homophobes, racists and antisemites” after Suella Braverman, the party’s new equalities chief, announced plans to scrap the Equality Act.
She said the party would repeal the act on day one if it wins the next election, claiming Britain is being “ripped apart by diversity, equality and inclusion” policies.
The 2010 act prevents discrimination against those with protected characteristics, including: age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
The Independent has contacted the Department for Health and Social Care and Reform for comment.
