‘Trans power couple’ Jake and Hannah Graf fundraise for kids’ cancer charity amid safety concerns

Trans couple Hannah and Jake Graf are to raise awareness of Children With Cancer UK (CWC), but amid their charitable efforts Jake says he worries daily about his wife’s safety after the UK Supreme Court ruled the legal definition of a woman excludes trans women.

The couple, known as the UK’s “transgender power couple,” are ambassadors for the charity and will take part in the Vitality Westminster Mile for CWC on 27 September, alongside their two children, Millie and Teddie.

Jake told PinkNews that as parents to two young girls, their biggest fear is their “children getting ill.”

He added: “I lost my father to cancer, and there’s a lot of cancer in my family. We’ve got friends who’ve battled it.”

“I honestly can’t imagine anything more horrific,” he said of a child receiving a cancer diagnosis, adding that the charity does work that is “absolutely invaluable,” but “the visibility it gets is not enough,” which is why they chose to run the Westminster Mile in its support.

In a message to families supporting their children through cancer, he said: “Firstly, you’re heroes. I can’t imagine the pain. Stay strong, there’s a huge community of people there to support you,” he added, pointing out the value of the work CWC does.

‘We had a summer riddled with anxiety…’

Speaking about his own family, he shared his concerns for their safety.

In April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman in the 2010 Equality Act refers to “biological” women only.

At the time of the ruling, Hannah and Jake expressed their fears about leaving the house, with Jake describing the situation as “honestly heartbreaking.”

The Supreme Court ruling has since led to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) publishing non-statutory guidance on how single-sex spaces should be accessed.

The UK human rights regulator previously told PinkNews that it is “confident” that updates to its code for services, public functions, and associations, which include clauses that would effectively exclude trans people from using public facilities, such as toilets, consistent with their gender identity, are both “legally accurate” and “as clear as it is possible to be.”

It comes as hundreds of UK businesses have argued that a ban on trans people from gendered facilities would be “unworkable” both logistically and financially.

Jake said: “We’ve just had a summer riddled with anxiety, worry and uncertainty about the future.”

He added that he expects nothing good will come from the EHRC’s guidance.

‘It’s very, very sad’

“I think it may be a case that businesses are forced to have exclusionary measures and basically implement what is segregation of their trans team members and customers.”

He stressed that this is a stain on Labour’s government and implies that trans people are being treated as “second-class citizens in society.”

“I think this will be the worst time, legislatively, for the trans community in UK history,” he said.

This year, the UK fell again in ILGA-Europe’s annual rankings of nations to 22nd, having topped the list 10 years ago. With an overall score of 46 per cent, the UK is now the second-worst country for LGBTQ+ laws in Western Europe and Scandinavia, above only Italy.

“It’s very, very sad, and I worry for my wife’s safety and our children’s safety when they’re out together,” he said.

Amid what he described as the “scary” climate in the UK, he acknowledged that “a lot of people [are] fighting for us,” but said: “It still doesn’t change the fact that we are entering what looks to be a very dark time for our UK trans community.”

Jake urged people to watch the Sky documentary Kids Like Us, which is powerfully narrated by children who share the reality of navigating life after a cancer diagnosis.

As ambassadors of CWC, the couple will also attend the charity’s gala on 8 November and its Big Xmas Quiz, where they will serve as team captains.

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