TransActual Report Reveals Spike in Anti Trans Harassment After Supreme Court Ruling

A new report from TransActual paints a stark picture of what daily life has become for many trans and gender non-conforming people in the UK: more questioning, more exclusion, and more fear in places that should be ordinary.

The report, It Happens Every Time, is based on 338 testimonies collected between May 2025 and August 2026. Those accounts came from people who said they had been stopped, questioned or challenged while trying to use gendered spaces such as toilets, changing rooms, gyms and workplaces.

Of those incidents, 260 were reported after the Supreme Court judgment of 16 April 2025 on the definition of sex in the Equality Act. TransActual says the testimonies show a marked rise in harassment and exclusion after the ruling, with many people reporting that they were challenged in public or semi-public spaces simply for being perceived as trans.

Everyday spaces have become sites of scrutiny for many trans people.

The report links the ruling to a rise in public challenges

The Supreme Court ruling on 16 April 2025 concerned the definition of sex in the Equality Act. Since then, TransActual says it has received hundreds of testimonies from trans and gender non-conforming people who describe being challenged while accessing spaces that are often separated by gender.

The report does not present these accounts as isolated misunderstandings. It frames them as part of a broader pattern, where the ruling appears to have emboldened some people to police who is allowed into certain spaces.

The testimonies cover a range of settings, including:

• Toilets

• Changing rooms

• Gyms

• Workplaces

• Other gendered facilities

  
  

For many people, these are routine parts of daily life. A trip to the gym, a shift at work, or a stop at a public toilet should not become a confrontation. The report suggests that, for many trans people, these situations now carry a heightened risk of being questioned, humiliated or threatened.

That matters because access to public and workplace facilities is not a niche issue. It affects whether people can travel, work, socialise, exercise, attend appointments, or simply leave the house without calculating risk.

The figures show harassment was not limited to words

The most alarming findings in the report concern violence and intimidation. According to TransActual, nearly one in 10 of the post-ruling incidents involved physical or sexual violence.

A quarter involved verbal harassment, threats or intimidation. Nearly a third of those who reported incidents said they had been aggressively misgendered.

Nearly one in 10 of the incidents reported after the Supreme Court ruling involved physical or sexual violence, according to TransActual.

Those figures are striking because they show that the issue is not only about discomfort or disagreement. The testimonies include experiences that people described as frightening, invasive and, in some cases, violent.

Aggressive misgendering also has a specific impact. It is not simply the use of the wrong word. In the context described by the report, it can become a way to challenge someone’s presence, deny their identity, and signal to others that they should be treated as suspicious or out of place.

The report also highlights how quickly an ordinary moment can escalate. A person entering a toilet or changing room may be stared at, questioned, followed, shouted at, blocked, or reported to staff. Even when no physical violence takes place, that experience can make someone avoid the space in future.

Everyday exclusion can have a wider effect

The testimonies gathered by TransActual focus on specific incidents, but the wider impact goes beyond the moment itself.

If someone is repeatedly challenged in public toilets, they may avoid travelling long distances. If changing rooms feel unsafe, they may stop going to the gym or swimming pool. If a workplace handles a complaint badly, a person may feel less secure in their job.

This kind of exclusion can narrow a person’s life. It can turn routine planning into risk assessment.

For trans and gender non-conforming people, the question may become:

• Will I be challenged if I use this toilet?

• Will staff support me if someone complains?

• Will I be filmed, shouted at, or followed?

• Will the situation become unsafe?

  
  

These are not abstract concerns. The testimonies in It Happens Every Time suggest that many people are already making decisions around safety, dignity and avoidance.

The report also raises questions for organisations that manage gendered spaces. Gyms, shops, employers, schools, transport hubs and public venues all need clear policies. Staff need to know how to respond if someone is harassed, and they need to understand that a person’s appearance is not a valid reason to treat them as a threat.

The report is built from hundreds of personal accounts.

The report points to a climate of permission

One of the most serious implications of the TransActual report is the idea that legal and political developments can shape public behaviour. A court ruling does not, by itself, instruct members of the public to challenge strangers in toilets or changing rooms. Yet TransActual’s findings suggest that some people may have interpreted the ruling as permission to do exactly that.

That is why language and guidance matter. When public debate frames trans people as a problem to be managed, it can make harassment seem more acceptable to those already inclined to police others.

Clear public standards are needed. People should not be encouraged, directly or indirectly, to confront others based on appearance, voice, clothing or assumptions about sex. In most everyday settings, that kind of policing creates more danger, not less.

For organisations, the practical lesson is simple: policies should reduce confrontation, not invite it. Staff should be trained to de-escalate harassment, protect people’s privacy, and respond to threats or abuse quickly.

This is especially important in workplaces. Employers have duties under equality and health and safety law, and they should not wait for an incident to happen before deciding how staff and visitors will be protected. This article is for general information only and is not legal advice.

What should happen next

The report’s findings call for more than sympathy. They point to a need for clear action from public bodies, employers, service providers and community organisations.

That action could include:

• Clearer policies on access to facilities

• Staff training on harassment and de-escalation

• Simple reporting routes for people who are targeted

• Public messaging that discourages vigilante-style policing

• Support for trans and gender non-conforming people affected by abuse

  
  

The central issue is not complicated. People need to be able to use toilets, changing rooms, gyms and workplaces without being threatened, humiliated or attacked.

TransActual’s report suggests that, after the Supreme Court ruling, many trans and gender non-conforming people have faced a sharp increase in exactly those experiences. The testimonies describe a climate where ordinary spaces can become hostile in seconds.

The takeaway is clear: dignity and safety in public life cannot depend on whether a stranger decides someone looks acceptable. If organisations want to protect everyone who uses their services, they need policies that stop harassment before it becomes routine.