The Trans Agenda: New study, new law, EHRC U-turn & more
It has been a few weeks since I last published a Trans Agenda, although there was a separate post about the press coverage following the UK Supreme Court ruling that you may have missed. The sheer volume of developments partly explains the gap. Simply keeping up with what is happening is a job in itself.
On that note, I remain active most days on Bluesky, where I post many of the stories that later appear in the Trans Agenda. Subscriptions to this newsletter help make that possible, as do PayPal donations. They also support my ongoing work clipping and archiving UK media coverage, which you can find on Bluesky under the hashtag #TransAgendaClips. That tag also lets people mute the relentless propaganda pushed by the UK press, if they prefer not to see it in their feeds.
The UK and the US continue to goosestep on with their coordinated campaign of trans elimination, although the UK did a weird thing last week and offered some protection to the trans people they seem so desperate to marginalise further. You can find out more about that below. It should come as no surprise that the two countries are so closely aligned on this issue, given both are being directed and funded by the same actors.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has also featured heavily in the news over the past few weeks. You may notice few EHRC-related stories covered below. That is because a separate, dedicated post on the EHRC will follow later this week, along with an international Trans Agenda. In the meantime, I strongly recommend reading Ian Dunt’s excellent piece on the state of the organisation and how it was captured.
I also urge you to consider signing the open letter calling on the Women and Equalities Committee to launch an investigation into the EHRC.
UK & IRELAND
UK puberty blocker ban causing serious harm to trans youth, University of London study finds [Journal of Gender Studies]
A University of London study has found that the UK’s ban on puberty blockers is inflicting “serious adverse effects” on trans and non-binary youth. Led by academic Natacha Kennedy, the research highlights severe declines in mental health, increased rates of self-harm, and suicidal ideation among young people denied treatment. In contrast, those who accessed puberty blockers reported clear improvements in wellbeing. The study concludes that the ban is causing “severe psychological, physical and social harm” and states, “Those advocating banning puberty blockers have justified it on the grounds that it is to ‘protect children’. The evidence here shows that is quite clearly not doing that.”
EHRC retreats from guidance following legal pressure [Good Law Project]
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has done a quiet U-turn on their claims that employers are legally required to provide single-sex toilets based on birth sex in a formal legal response to the Good Law Project. The original update, which encouraged discrimination by employers, is also laughably reclassified as 'some observations'. The Commission also contradicts Chair Kishwer Falkner, acknowledging that Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights applies to toilet access. She said that it did not.
Government backs tougher penalties for anti-trans hate crimes [Hansard]
In a development as welcome as it was surprising, the UK Government has agreed to support a new clause in the Crime and Policing Bill that would enhance sentencing for hate crimes against trans people. Jolyon Maugham KC described the move as “a rare moment of good news” amid a wider surge in anti-trans policies.
Judicial guidance confirms trans people must be respected on death certificates [UK Judiciary]
New guidance issued by the Chief Coroner for England and Wales affirms that trans people's gender can be accurately recorded on death certificates, regardless of whether they held a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). The document clarifies that legal sex in this context is not fixed to birth sex, and coroners may determine the recorded sex based on a person’s life. Radical.
Coroners are urged to prioritise the usual - dignity, privacy and respect - with explicit reference to Article 8 of the ECHR. Intrusive inquiries into a deceased’s trans history are discouraged unless strictly necessary.
Trans NI fully funded through donations
Trans Pride Northern Ireland receives no council funding, relying instead on public donations and fundraisers, something I wasn’t aware off until recently. Unsure if they would be able to afford it, a date hasn’t even been set for 2025. Enter the generous people of Bluesky who stepped up and ensured that the fundraiser, which was at £2.8k when I put out the call, hit their target of £5k in around two hours.
But, it didn’t stop there. At the time of writing, the fund is heading for £7k. You can still donate here with any surplus going towards Trans Pride NI 2026. Alternatively, you could help Causeway Pride, who were the first in UK and Ireland to ban politicians. Their goal is a modest £1.1k.
Trans woman denied care by Dublin hospital highlights systemic failures in trans healthcare [GCN]
Paige Behan, a trans woman who was refused treatment for a serious infection at St James’s Hospital in Dublin, has condemned the incident as part of a wider crisis in Irish trans healthcare. After undergoing surgery in Germany, Behan was turned away by urology, gynaecology, and plastics departments when she sought urgent care. Though the hospital has since apologised and acknowledged a gap in care pathways, Behan said the apology was “cold” and insisted, “They knew they had failed me.” She added, “There is an urgent, undeniable need for both education and compassion in trans healthcare.”
Minister deflects criticism as UK plunges in LGBTQ+ rights rankings [Phillipa East]
The UK’s Equalities Minister has come under fire after offering a cursory response to the nation’s dramatic fall to 22nd in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map, a drop triggered by the Supreme Court’s ruling. In a letter shared publicly by author Philippa East, the Minister sidestepped domestic failures by highlighting overseas LGBTQ+ initiatives.
Quakers come under attack for supporting trans people [Telegraph]
Quakers in Britain are facing criticism from anti-trans campaigners after confirming their commitment to trans inclusion, saying they will not restrict access to toilets based on sex assigned at birth. In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain, said they would continue to welcome and affirm trans and non-binary people. He added: “We must respect the dignity of each person to live with integrity, informed by the truth of their lived experience.”
Tribunal rules teacher was fairly dismissed over accessing safeguarding records [Telegraph]
A Christian primary school teacher who refused to respect a trans pupil’s gender and accessed confidential safeguarding records has lost her employment tribunal. The teacher, anonymised as “A”, was dismissed after objecting to using a pupil’s name and pronouns, claiming it would go against her conscience and Christian faith. She later accessed and copied sensitive safeguarding records without authorisation. The tribunal rejected her claims of unfair dismissal and religious discrimination, ruling the school acted appropriately to safeguard the pupil. The judge upheld a permanent reporting restriction, prioritising the child’s right to live peace.
MEDIA
Daily Mail issues belated apology after falsely accusing GIDS doctors of ‘doling out’ puberty blockers [MailOnline]
More than a year after publishing an article that lied about doctors working with trans children, the Daily Mail has issued a correction and partial apology to Dr Aidan Kelly and Dr Heather Wood, former clinical psychologists at the NHS’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). The original April 2024 article wrongly claimed the pair were “doctors who doled out puberty blockers to a generation of vulnerable children.” In reality, they did not prescribe medication, instead working within NHS protocols as part of a multidisciplinary team. The Mail now concedes this, stating, “we take this opportunity to apologise for any contrary impression.”
This correction, issued in June 2025, arrives long after the damage was done. The Mail has been one of the loudest voices in Britain’s anti-trans media campaign, helping fuel the moral panic that led to the ban of puberty blockers, medication that is safe, effective, and often life-saving for trans kids. The impact of this manufactured climate has been devastating, as we seen above with Natacha Kennedy's study. An apology for a “contrary impression” is cold comfort to those suffering the real-world consequences of media lies that continue unchecked because trans people can rarely afford to take legal action.
The National rejects Rowling’s ‘anti-woman’ claim, defends pro-trans stance [The National]
In response to JK Rowling labelling The National “an anti-woman newspaper,” editor Laura Webster dismantled the accusation, highlighting the paper’s feminist credentials, which are numerous. The attacks came after The National described Sex Matters as “anti-trans,” a term easily defended based on the group’s campaigns against trans inclusion. Rowling's remark, made on X, also indicated she hadn’t even read the article before launching her minions at the paper. If you haven’t already read the open letter, I would highly recommend that you do. If you have, read it again. You know you’ll enjoy it as it is rare to see this happen on the pages on a UK newspaper.
SPORT
Trans swimmer competes topless in protest against Swim England’s exclusionary policy [Reading Today]
Anne Isabella Coombes, a 67-year-old trans woman from Reading, swam topless at the Cornwall County Masters to protest Swim England’s ban on trans women in female categories. After competing as a woman in 2023, she was barred under new rules introduced later that year. Forced into the men’s ‘open’ category, Coombes exposed the absurdity and humiliation of the policy that insists she wears women's swimwear while competing in the men's category. “This is meant to hit trans people and nobody else,” she said, adding, “Existence is resistance.”
Cis women beat trans women at rugby and Oliver Brown is not happy [Telegraph]
A rugby match in Oslo, designed to challenge bans on trans women playing women’s rugby, saw a team of cis women thrash a team of trans women 34–7. Despite this result, Daily Telegraph chief sports reporter and protector of women, Oliver Brown, framed the event as a political stunt rather than recognising that cis women aren't actually as shit at sport as he likes to believe.
The match, called “Ruck You,” began with seven trans women facing off against seven former international cis women players, before the teams mixed. Notably, the only points scored by the trans team came after the sides integrated.
CONSEQUENCES
Sharron Davies suspended by charity after homeless comments [Plymouth Herald]
Anti-trans activist Sharron Davies has been suspended as patron of Plymouth homelessness charity Shekinah Mission after publicly criticising the Government’s decision to repeal the Vagrancy Act. Swim Glinner posted on social media that “decriminalising rough sleeping IS a huge mistake”, describing parts of San Francisco as “dangerous & no go areas” and asking, “How in anyone’s crazy imagination will this help?”
In response, Shekinah’s CEO John Hamblin said the charity “applauded and welcomed” the repeal, adding the organisation had spent over 30 years fighting the injustice of street homelessness. He added, "We were made aware today [June 19] that an existing Patron of Shekinah strongly expressed an opposing view via a social media platform. In view of this we have suspended our connection with the Patron and will try to contact them to discuss the content of the post."
Something else worth noting from that article is how the 'journalist', Carl Eve, describes Plymouth-native, Davies, as "a passionate advocate for women's rights" who "has long spoken openly on the issue of the biological advantage - and unfairness - of trans women in women's sports." Clearly, this is a lie that Eve himself believes, and an example of how this nonsense is parroted uncritically everywhere.
Stephen Fry says JK Rowling has been radicalised by trans-exclusionary ideology [The National]
Stephen Fry has finally publicly condemned JK Rowling’s views on trans people, stating she has been “radicalised by TERFs” and describing her rhetoric as “cruel, wrong and mocking.” Fry, who previously enjoyed a friendship with Rowling, something she now denies, has defended her in the past.
He said her gender-critical views have “completely altered the way she talks and engages with the world.” Fry criticised her failure to condemn violent transphobic statements from others. He described her commentary as “inflammatory and contemptuous,” adding, “She seems to be a lost cause for us.”
He was immediately attacked by the anti-trans papers and her devoted followers.
Thank you!! 🥰