A year after the Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act and subsequent Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance, trans people across the UK say the impact is still being felt in their everyday lives – from workplaces and public spaces to their mental health.
Stephanie Lynnette, a 29-year-old trans activist and Events and Projects Manager at London Trans Pride, says the ruling altered both her work and personal life overnight.
“Everything for me changed on a daily level,” she told The Mirror. “Whether that was drafting statements regarding the Supreme Court ruling, whether that was consoling patients who were scared about whether or not they were going to be placed on a male or female ward.”
She describes the ruling as a “huge blow” to the community around her, not only in practical terms but emotionally.
“I was seeing members of my own friendship circle become withdrawn and quite suicidal in some cases,” she reveals. “It just caused a huge wave of confusion for the general public because the guidance was so vague, and then a huge amount of discrimination for the community that it’s written about.”
That confusion has translated into real-world consequences, particularly in gendered spaces like hospital wards, toilets, workplaces and public venues – becoming a defining feature of the past year.
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“[The Supreme Court ruling] has led to trans and gender non-conforming people no longer feeling safe in British society or at work. One in four trans adults are reportedly planning to leave the UK, which is a real indictment on this government and our media,” Helen Belcher, director at TransActual, said in a statement.
Testimonies collected from trans people across the UK point to a pattern of increased scrutiny, questioning and exclusion. Experiences range from being misgendered and challenged to being denied access to facilities altogether.
One trans man in England described being confronted in a public toilet shortly after the ruling, in an experience that left him feeling “ashamed” and “unsure of my safety”.
Others report being followed, questioned or even threatened. A non-binary person in Yorkshire said security guards waited outside their toilet stall, leaving them feeling “like a criminal just for needing the bathroom”.
Figures from the research suggest around 53% of trans respondents have been stopped, questioned or harassed in gendered spaces, compared to 17% of cis respondents. For many, the result has been avoidance, such as changing daily routines, limiting time in public, or avoiding certain spaces altogether.
Stephanie believes the UK is currently in a period of regression: “We’re on the road of regression,” she says. “We’ve seen the rise of the manosphere and extreme right-wing politics… people could find these echo chambers of tolerance for their own bigotry.”
Yet alongside this, Stephanie has noticed a shift in how communities and allies are responding. “I think there’s been a huge shift in the way that we show up as a community,” she tells us. “There’s a huge amount of fear… but what that has done is it’s really opened the door to an age of allyship.”
She points to community groups and organisations stepping up, sometimes out of necessity, to advocate for trans inclusion. “Groups who might have been quiet supporters have become some of our most vocal allies,” she says.
That support has also taken on an increasingly intersectional form, with different movements coming together.
‘We want to highlight trans joy instead of oppression’
Despite the challenges, Stephanie is determined not to let the narrative be defined solely by hardship. “One of the bravest things a trans person does every day is see the world for what it is and step outside in authenticity anyway,” she says.
She emphasises the importance of recognising “trans joy” alongside the difficulties. “It’s not about willful ignorance. It’s seeing the world for what it is and choosing to highlight the trans joy instead of the oppression.”
That resilience is visible in events like London Trans Pride, which saw around 100,000 people attend last year: “I’m incredibly proud to be part of my trans community,” she says. “We have demonstrated such a huge amount of resilience during these incredibly difficult times.”
Looking ahead, she hopes that momentum continues – not just within the community, but from allies too.
‘Trans people are so often spoken for and not spoken with’
For Stephanie, meaningful allyship is about action, not words: “Trans people are so often spoken for and not spoken with,” she says. “Allyship looks like someone giving up that seat… saying there’s someone who should be at this table who isn’t.”
She adds that allyship is essential not just for progress, but for survival. “We need allyship as a community group to be able to not only survive but thrive.”
A year on from the ruling, the picture that emerges is one of contradiction: increased fear and restriction on one hand, and growing solidarity and visibility on the other. For Stephanie, both realities exist at once: “In the face of oppression, we persist,” she says. “In the face of oppression, we are joyful and we are celebrating. We are here.”