London's Trans Pride
Despite all this needless hostility and manufactured conflict between transgender people and wider society, there has also been a lot of progress (Picture: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

2019 has not been an easy year for transgender people in the UK.

The ongoing negative and misleading media coverage has continued to have serious adverse affects on transgender people, with hate crimes and hate incidents at an all-time record high.

Getting access to transgender-related healthcare has become more difficult, with people having to wait up to two to three years for a single appointment at a gender identity clinic. It hasn’t always been like that, and the lists only seem to be getting longer and longer.

Healthcare for transgender people has been routinely questioned even though the benefits of medical transition have been established by international institutions such as the World Health Organisation.

Transgender people’s access to activities and gendered spaces have also been put into question.

In May, access to Hampstead’s swimming ponds was formalised for transgender people, a policy that was almost immediately followed up with threats of legal action. Before this, the ponds had been been inclusive of transgender people for decades. 

Transgender people also need access to services to stay safe, such as homeless shelters and refuges for survivors of sexual, as well as domestic abuse. Transgender people remain one of the most vulnerable groups in society and are at a heightened risk of homelessness, discrimination and violence, but even access to these has been ‘debated’ with malice and misinformation.

Due to the government’s lack of action, the reform of the Gender Recognition Act (2004) has been halted for almost three years now, cultivating endless media rows over transgender rights, despite the law only having to do with changing people’s birth certificates.

But despite all this needless hostility and manufactured conflict between transgender people and wider society, there has also been a lot of progress in terms of awareness and social acceptance for the transgender community in a wider sense, including for non-binary people.

Sam Smith attends KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2019
‘They/them’ was announced as the word of the year 2019 (Picture: David Livingston/FilmMagic )

The singular pronoun ‘they/them’ was announced as word of the year 2019 according to Merriam-Webster, giving gender-neutral pronouns a much-needed recognition. The pronoun is most prominently used by non-binary people across the UK, allowing people to be referred to without being gendered as ‘she’ or ‘he’. 

We have also seen a wider array of positive media representation with TV shows such as Pose and Butterfly accurately reflecting the experiences of transgender people. 

A growing number of influential individuals are showing their support for transgender people and trans youth publicly, including Jameela Jamil, Prince Harry, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Harry Brewer.

Emma Watson has shown staunch support for young people who are transgender, which is directly at odds with Harry Potter creator JK Rowling.

Rowling tweeted her support for Maya Forstater, a former employee of the think tank Center for Global Development, who claimed transgender women cannot ‘change their biological sex’.

After her contract was not renewed, she pursued an employment tribunal and lost.

It was a significant case for transgender people, and LGBTQ people more widely: the judge was adamant that her comments were ‘absolutist’ and could create an ‘intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment’ for trans people.

If Forstater had won, it would have set a dangerous precedent and given grounds for people to express homophobic, misogynistic, racist and prejudiced views against minorities without consequence. 

It is vital that we as a society recognise masked bigotry and discourse for what it is.

Arguments about ‘biology’ or ‘sex’ should never be used as grounds to deny transgender people the right to express themselves freely, or deny them their dignity and rights. 

Pose's Blanca
TV shows such as Pose have accurately reflected the experiences of transgender people (Picture: FX)

At current, transgender pupils face high levels of bullying for who they are – 45 per cent of students reported being bullied according to Stonewall’s 2017 School Report – and we lack strong anti-bullying policies to tackle this. 

Is it any wonder that kids do not respect their transgender peers, when adults cannot do so either?

We need to start setting an example for our kids that no one should be discriminated against because of who they are, transgender people included.

I can only hope that 2020 will be a year of growing compassion and understanding for the lives and experiences of transgender people. I hope that we as a society start to recognise the need to accept and acknowledge our plight, so that we can create a more accepting and free world for our younger generations. 

Instead of relentless attacks for the alleged threats we cause to society, I want us to focus on how we can make society a better place for transgender people.

This means more than just being intolerant of transphobia as an idea, but speaking up against it too – at work, on the street or wherever we see it. It means more funding allocated to transgender healthcare, to deal with the growing demand and need for it. 

It means keeping services running and continuing to be inclusive, allowing transgender people to blossom in their chosen profession or hobby and ensuring their gender identity is respected. 

In 2020, I hope that everyone is able to express their gender however in a way that makes them feel comfortable and whole.

Transgender people are people first and foremost, and all have lives worth living and lives worth showing. They are an active part in society and share your workplace, your gym, your supermarket and  your social circles.

So let’s move forward with a willingness to learn and listen.

It might seem obvious but I still feel compelled to say that we need to do away with all this hostility, anger and distrust towards transgender people.

I don’t have all the answers but I think this would be a very good start. Not just for transgender people, but for everyone.

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