‘Hostile’ anti-trans environment in UK deterring trans people from healthcare

Nearly every single transgender person living in the UK has been impacted by the relentless anti-trans media attacks against the community, a report has found.

Ninety-nine per cent of trans people in the UK told non-profit TransActual that anti-trans coverage by right-wing media outlets had harmed their metal health in some capacity.

Nearly all of the 4,008 people surveyed as part of the Trans Lives 2025 report said they had seen or heard a politician express transphobic sentiments, which had impacted their mental health greatly.

Ninety-eight per cent of respondents, surveyed between December 2024 and January 2025, who said they had experienced transphobia from their own family members believe that anti-trans media coverage had affected their loved ones’ thinking on the community.

In total, 97 per cent of respondents have experienced some form of transphobia, with 84 per cent experiencing it in 2024 alone.

The most common sources were through online harassment (82 per cent), strangers on the street (71 per cent), and from family members (80 per cent). Nearly 2,000 respondents say they had faced transphobic comments or harassment while using public transport.

A spokesperson for TransActual said that the results of the survey reiterated the rising “anti-trans hatred” in the UK, which they said was creating a “hostile environment” for trans people.

Majority of trans people avoid going to GP over transphobia fears

The report, led by researchers Freddy Sperring and Dr Trent Grassian, also covers economic issues, access to healthcare, and IDs.

Ninety-seven per cent of the trans UK public reported dealing with GPs that have little or no knowledge on trans issues, while nearly three quarters have reported avoiding their GP over fears of discrimination.

Of those who had faced issues with their GPs, 60 per cent had been refused non-transition related care because of their gender identity. This problem worsens for trans people of colour, with nearly a third saying they have experienced racism in healthcare settings.

Nearly half of all disabled respondents said they had experienced a form of ableism when accessing care, while almost a quarter said they had avoided A&E over discrimination fears, even when they needed urgent medical care.

Government-issued IDs also posed significant issues for respondents, over half of which said they felt unsafe because their ID did not reflect their correct gender identity. Forty per cent said they would prefer a form of government ID that did not list their gender.

Trans UK citizens are, according to the report, significantly more likely to have a household income that is below the UK national average, with some earning less than the median of £36,700 P/A.

Almost one in four respondents had experienced housing insecurity in some capacity over the past few years, with many sofa surfing or sleeping rough.

“The Trans Lives Report 2025 shows that trans people in the UK are still being catastrophically failed,” a spokesperson said. “Rising anti-trans hatred from the media, politicians, and in the streets, is creating a hostile environment. Major barriers to accessing healthcare and appropriate IDs represent a failure of this Government to respect the fundamental rights of trans people.”

TransActual urged the Government to take “urgent steps” in addressing the issues that trans people face, which it said had only been worsened by the Supreme Court’s judgment on the 2010 Equality Act’s definition of a woman, published after the survey was conducted.

According to a report from researcher Jessica Kant, right-wing media outlets including the Telegraph and the Daily Mail are overwhelmingly responsible for much of the reporting on trans topics in the UK, outstripping other media outlets, including LGBTQ+ publications, by two to five times every month.

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