What are the strategies for Trans Rights Advocacy in 2025?

TL:DR ignore the rights of women, emphasise the risk of extermination. I am now even more pessimistic that we can find a way through this

Trans Human Rights Advocacy - Strategies around the World' -12 Feb 2025

I was interested to attend this event, to see the landscape of trans rights activism after one of their biggest UK beasts Stonewall has been fatally wounded on a number of fronts.

It was a remote event, chaired by Aoife Nolan, the Director of Human Rights Centre at University of Nottingham. About 100 attended and I could see surprisingly few declarations of pronouns on the screen.

Nolan introduced, explaining that this event was planned late last year against a backdrop of widespread backlash, trans people facing violence and discrimination around the world. Development in past few weeks – Trump – have made the global space even less hospitable to trans human rights claims. So it’s really important to focus on advocacy efforts. The expert speakers will focus on the challenges and strategies to advance trans rights throughout the world.

I have set out below my attempt to transcribe what the speakers said. It is not a word for word transcript but I hope accurate. I will discuss now briefly the themes that emerge

They have no idea what to do

The obvious problem is that they have no strategy. This was reflected by the speakers, who concentrated mainly or even exclusively on how terrible things are, and gave almost no practical advice on how to improve the situation. That advice they did give was very vague and general - support trans people! Raise more money!

The (re)arrival of Trump has of course destroyed funding for many groups but it sounds like pickings were pretty sparse even before the recent US election. In 2022 for e.g out of about 500 organisations polled around the world, 58% had less than $20K per year in funding and most had only 3 or less donors. The only – vague - practical advice came at the very end of the first speaker’s presentation:

Toolkits and knowledge instruments to share best practice on how to stay safe and undertake advocacy in times of crisis. Enabling activists to go to UN, learn how to brief members and increase visibility. Documenting anti trans attacks and submitting reports. Going beyond traditional allies – disability and racial justice. Advocating to increase donors.

There was an interesting suggestion from one speaker that focusing on ‘intersex’ rights had been damaging as was confusing everyone, but I wasn’t entirely sure if that was what he meant to say.

We live in world where sex is becoming (?) … anti trans movements insist sex is binary. We see progressive actors saying intersex says sex is not binary, is a construction and different sexes to male and female. Increasingly confusion and distress about key differences between trans and intersex. Advocacy here is negative.

But I would certainly agree that it has been very unhelpful to see the constant muddling of the message about the rights of those with disorders of sexual development and the rights of those who simply wish to identify as a particular sex or gender identity. A medical condition has nothing to do with a claimed gender identity.

Complete disregard, even hostility for women.

None of the four speakers gave any consideration to women’s rights.

The first speaker made explicit attack on Reem Alsalem (UN special rappateur on violence against women and girls) calling her ‘notorious’ and that

she has dedicated her tenure to transphobia. Call for input re sports was problematic, suggesting big problem for cis women in sports were trans women. She has targeted GATE.

The barrister made frequent inaccurate assertions that there was no definition of biological sex in UK law and made no mention at all of why single sex spaces might be considered important for women. His focus on protecting the vulnerable clearly did not include women.

Constant narrative of ‘extermination’

The essential fragility of trans people and that they faced ‘extermination’ was often referred to by the speakers, in particular the second, a signatory to the Yogyakarta Principles.

World will have to recognise there is a strategy focused on eliminating trans people around the world. We were right. … but we also need to focus on political organising. Lives depend on that.

What worried me

It seems that the wheels are falling off the yolking of trans rights with homosexuality. The first speaker urged those listening to go beyond ‘traditional’ allies and to explore the intersectionality of disability and race. This fits with the growing trend to consider who ‘identifies’ as having a disability. As a disabled person I am very concerned by this notion that ‘trans’ may be in some way yoked to disability, yet another conflation between a claimed identify and an immutable reality. Disabled people cannot afford any parasitic ‘forced teaming’ – we get little enough attention as it is.

The barrister repeated that the laws won’t help, repeating that liberation of queer and trans people will not be through the court room but with the advocacy done. I found this particularly chilling from a barrister and was clearly a reflection of the oft repeated ‘advice’ of Stonewall to go ‘above and beyond the law’ – i.e. to break it. I would be interested to know exactly what he meant by this, but his presentation did not elaborate.

He also rejected the Cass Review, but didn’t seem to be able to reflect on why the legal challenge was lost regarding blocking puberty blockers. He made references to ‘deference to authority’ and ‘soft law’ which I didn’t understand and were not explained. Given that he didn’t think the law was going to help, and he had nothing to offer about any other option, he seemed an odd choice of speaker.

So where next?

I am increasingly pessimistic about the possibility of moving forward. This will require acceptance by most that biological sex is real and it matters – particularly for women – that children should not be subjected to irreversible and unevidenced medical intervention, but also recognising that there are people who are dislike and reject the notion of sex and wish to present to the world with some kind of gender identity.

I reject the notion of gender identity, just as I reject the existence of gods, but I also have to accept these are notions important to many and they have a right to believe in them – provided of course that the manifestation of their beliefs does not unacceptably curtail mine.

Not only is there this apparently hard baked narrative of fragility and threatened extermination from the trans rights side, but also ‘my side’ is increasingly feeding this narrative by adopting abusive and threatening rhetoric. Some of those people I accept are rightly very angry and afraid at just how badly we have been let down, but some sadly are enjoying themselves; they genuinely are transphobic and hateful.

What is the solution? Only rational discussion is going to sort this out. But that is clearly impossible with the narrative from the trans right lobby as it stands and the increasingly uncompromising stances of many on the other side. All I can hope is that we will develop rational and understandable frameworks of laws that set out clearly when sex must prevail over gender identity. This may provide the stage for some rational discussion but I will confess I am much more pessimistic now than before I joined this seminar.

The narrative of victimhood clearly has great value for many. It’s a way to get attention and to absolve yourself from responsibility for how you feel or the mistakes you have made. Nothing is your fault if you are oppressed. Great networks have developed to sustain this oppression. To unpick all this will be slow and hard work.

Attempted transcript

Levan Berianidze Human Rights Lead of Global Action for Trans Equality. A queer feminist activist they/them Wide ranging activism and he has won cases in European Court. Public demos in Georgia. Will give global overview of challenges and opportunities to trans rights advocacy.

GATE is only organisation that operates on global level. Envisage a world free of human rights violations based on gender expression. Works to counter anti gender movements. Trans and GD people always focus of attacks but now the central targets of anti gender movement. $20 million spent by Trump in pre election campaign on anti trans issues to gain political power. Not unique to US, happens all around the world. Political parties attack trans rights during economic and social crisis, to divert attention from those issues for which they don’t have solution. Therefore trans issues are becoming tool of manipulation to gain political power.

This is because of decades of neglect of trans movements (!) and LGB identities are more accepted and visible. They are not so easily manipulated but lots of misunderstanding around trans issues so we are more vulnerable.

Anti gender movements operate at national and regional levels. We focus mostly at international level, and see them operate in two dimensions. Orgs are very well connected and replicate strategies and narratives. Share resources. They work at level of UN. We thought UN immune to their infiltration but its been happening.

For e.g. civil society orgs that are very conservative and openly anti trans, womens rights. They have access to decision making spaces and can organise events at the UK. UN mandate holders themselves are anti trans. Reem Alsalem (UN special rappateur on violence against women and girls - is notorious – she has dedicated her tenure to transphobia. Call for input re sports was problematic, suggesting big problem for cis women in sports were trans women. She has targeted GATE.

Their tactic is to seemingly use feminist discourse to confuse those who aren’t well versed in nuance. But nothing feminist against going against one of the most marginalised group by the patriarchy.

Trans and GD communities experience biggest harm as at the centre but we aren’t their only end goal – they want political power.

We conducted studies – what is impact of anti trans movements. We saw that limited access to resources… no 1 struggle was stress and burnout. Being attacked and bullied. Lot of people pushed out of movement and can’t continue their work. Looked at anti trans activities and impact on our rights, again saw that emotional stress and burnout was number 1 problem. Also difficulty in accessing services and involving allies.

Boils down to anti trans movements dismantling key conditions for change .We see unfortunately that social media has become one of main tools that groups are using. Facebook and Twitter top two networks that spread anti trans rhetoric. An alarming trend 56% of activists said situation for them is worsening, only 20% saying it hasn’t changed. 16% said it had improved.

What are we doing to address this? Studying impact on trans communities and using this knowledge to come up with strategies. Toolkits and knowledge instruments to share best practice on how to stay safe and undertake advocacy in times of crisis. Enabling activists to go to UN, learn how to brief members and increase visibility. Documenting anti trans attacks and submitting reports. Going beyond traditional allies – disability and racial justice. Advocating to increase donors.

Mauro Cabral Grinspan – Argentinian researcher, co founded GATE. Then senior adviser on Global Philanthropy Project. Signatory of Yogykarta principles.

Difference between this moment in time and when I was invited to speak in December. A completely different world. But problems didn’t start with Trump. We know in UK anti trans wave has been horrible for last 6, 7 years. How is that wave challenging where trans people believed we were safe. Argentina wants to ban access to gender affirming health care to those under 18. Thought strength of human rights organisations would protect against the current far right government – I was wrong.

I believe that trans people engage in different parts of cultural production. Our fears dismissed by allies. World will have to recognise there is a strategy focused on eliminating trans people around the world. We were right.

What are we going to do right now with the positionality of trans people as victims of strategies of elimination and experts on transphobic movements? I am in general surrounded by cis colleagues still even today seeing state sponsored transphobia as marginal and that trans people constantly cry wolf. Problem of cis sexism even in radical movements that makes it so difficult for trans people to be heard.

My activism is focused on depathologising trans people. Focus on intersex issues. (not being clear…)

Intersex advocates are seeing anti Gender activists attacking WHO – US are leaving, this means defunding. Accusing us of having too much power to force organisations to make wrong decisions. We live in world where sex is becoming (?) … anti trans movements insist sex is binary. We see progressive actors saying intersex says sex is not binary, is a construction and different sexes to male and female. Increasingly confusion and distress about key differences between trans and intersex. Advocacy here is negative.

Also negative re funding for trans and intersex movements.

Report last year on state of trans organising and funding. In 2022 58% of world wide organisations (500) had less than $20K per year. This is the defence against extermination.

Most had less than 3 donors. Under threat from lack of funding from US. Very serious scarcity of resources. In extreme need. I think this process can be reversed. I don’t know if I will live to see it. We have to … don’t have many recommendations. I have requests. Take care of each other. Support trans people in your life and trans organisations and organise to defend communities, movements and to take power back. I am very much Argentinian. I see a lot of ‘well now we need to focus on what gives us pleasure’ but we also need to focus on political organising. Lives depend on that.

Chitsanupong Best – transgender activist in Thailand. 2018 first transgender participant in US exchange programme. Founder and Executive Director of Young Pride Foundation

Will discuss specifics to Thailand, but relevant to organisations across the world. Discusses reality of LGBT youth in Thailand. (not sure how this is relevant to what needs to be done re activism now). Created a petition when a student. Received over 2K signatures, allowed to wear specific uniform at graduation. Might seem small victory but it sparked wider debate.

Young Pride supports people in the community. 2019 event that commemorates incident in 2009 when Pride disrupted by conservatives. … we try to gather information about how students see the University protecting their rights. Surveyed 100 LGBT youth, universities in Thailand have friendly environment but did not have laws/policies to prevent discrimination.

Impact of Trump – cut funding. Rise of anti woke in social media, deeply concerning cultural shift. Making activists feeling burned out. We fight for our existence, our right to dream and to thrive. For all of us to be as we are and live authentically

Donnchadh Greene at Doughty Street Chamber specialist in JR, discrimination etc

Worked on NGOs with trans human rights and particular focus on legal challenges.

Might be difficult to share positives. Will provide a legal framework of whats going on in the UK, what cases are being brought and opportunities in the future around that. I often advise organisations on legal strategy and case merits. Liberation of queer and trans people will not be through the court room but with the advocacy done. My role is thinking about what the law is and whether it works, what it means for trans people. Stuck with legal framework we have, which is why liberation won’t come in the court room.

Can’t provide all nuance, top level view. I will refer to sex and gender interchangeably, that’s how its done in the UK and causes lots of difficulty. No statutory definition of sex in the UK !!! subject to case law in 1970s. Sex as binary. A lot of biologists will consider it outdated but Parliament will not provide a definition.

Trans people wanted to participate in public life. Mismatch with their gender markers so Gov had to introduce the Gender Recognition Act and Gender Recognition Certs. Conflates sex and gender. Then Equality Act set out protected characteristics, consolidated protections in one statute. Specific protection for gender reassignment, effectively protection for trans people. The courts say this includes non binary people.

Creates single sex spaces, which is hot topic in these forums. Can exclude members of the opposite sex based on criteria I won’t get into. Trans people who identify with different sex/gender can access spaces but can be excluded if proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. That’s really ambiguous, trying to work that out as an organisation is difficult. Difference with GR Certificate, feeds into assessment.

As time has gone on, the GRA heralded as progressive legislation to allow trans people to access services, feels clunky and over medicalised. Governments promise to reform it but drop ideas due to backlash from Reform, a far right party in the UK.

Plan of anti trans activists appears to be to exclude trans people from public life as far as possible. Trying to bring in changes so trans people can’t access any services that align with their gender or where they feel safe. Blocking puberty blockers on basis of Cass Report which has been widely criticised.

To create constant obstacles trying to narrow down sex as biological. Even if you have a GRC and live as trans individual. Focus on getting guidance to say its biological sex even though there is no definition of biological sex. Puts trans people in difficult situation and those who don’t present as gender assigned are harassed.

Trying to change code of practice of EHRC and move to re-assert biological sex as superceding current framework. Move to put biological sex in NHS constitution. But this will end up with unworkable realities. If trans people are working for you, you will have to out them, or out patients. Navigating that in underfunded NHS is practically difficult to provide specific care on specific basis, to protect those who are vulnerable.

Cases coming where there will be clarified but attempts to overturn PB ban unsuccessful. Push back and heavy deference to decision makers and state (don’t understand this point) Key challenges to those seeking to advance trans rights is hostility from courts themselves and soft approach to changing ‘soft law’ to make it more difficult for trans people to access support (don’t understand what he means by soft law).

Real risk to individuals who raise heads above parapet. Real abuse and intimidation on line. Lack of resources and funding. So in really difficult position for trans rights groups seeking to chip away on what is going on. Liberation won’t come from court room.

Apologises for being meandering, but reassured he is fantastic.

Then left meeting at 16.08 as it was the Q and A session and I didn’t feel my contributions would be viewed as helpful, nor was I confident any of the speakers would be able to answer my questions, given the quality of the presentations.