Trans youth leave ‘bloody’ handprints on NHS HQ to protest unpublished report

Teenage activists have spread “bloody” handprints across the windows of the NHS HQ to protest its refusal to release a report about suicide rates amongst trans youth.

Warning: This article features statistics and details of suicidality among trans youth in the UK.

Five young activists acting on behalf of the trans teen activism group Trans Kids Deserve Better spread red paint across the NHS building in Waterloo Road, London, in an effort to highlight the discrimination and challenges – for example the government’s decision to ban puberty blockers – currently faced by trans youth across the UK.

Several “bloody handprints” made with red paint were printed on the building’s windows, while one activist wrote a message: “RELEASE THE TRANS YOUTH SUICIDE REPORT.”

According to Trans Kids Deserve Better, activists pulled the stunt in response to the NHS refusing to release a report on suicide prevention for trans kids in the UK.

Written by the National Child Mortality Database, the report was allegedly completed in March 2024 but is being withheld until 2026 over “ongoing conversations” with NHS England according to the Good Law Project.

Responding, Trans Kids Deserve Better said that the delay unnecessarily exposes trans kids to an “increasingly cruel climate” by hiding a resource that, it says, could “save our lives.”

One activist told the group that they are “tired” of the NHS refusing to prioritise the safety of trans kids by not releasing the report as soon as feasibly possible.

“It makes me sad that the NHS are disrespecting people who have sadly taken their own lives and are no longer with us,” they continued. “They may think this means no one will notice, they are wrong.”

Trans Kids Deserve Better added that all five activists “safely fled the scene” and reassured onlookers concerned over the graffiti that the paint will “wash away with a wet cloth, unlike the suffering the government has caused the trans community.”

“[The government] have blood on their hands,” another activist said. “Now they have blood on their building, hopefully they’ll notice this time.”

Research has shown that the implementation of anti-trans legislation and policies in the UK and several Western countries has had a hugely adverse effect on trans young people.

Research published in November 2024 found that trans people in the UK feel increasingly unsafe, with 72 per cent of a 400-person survey consisting of trans women, trans men, and non-binary people saying they feel at increased risk because of their gender identity.

PinkNews has contacted NHS England for comment.

Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact the Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). ​Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.