Author: Steph

The Labour Party Conference and Trans Equality. A blog from Steph Richards, our CEO. At 9:00 AM on Sunday, 28 September 2025, TransLucent made history as the first trans advocacy organisation to exhibit this century at the Labour Conference 2025. Our team consisted of six people: four worked inside the exhibition hall and two were stationed outside. We would have been seven, but sadly, our director, Prof Stephen Whittle OBE, was unwell.  Some will wonder why we went. Because for sure this Labour Government, which basically promised to be “kind” to trans people in their manifesto, who pledged to detoxify…

Congratulations Katie Neeves National Diversity Awards 2025 Finalist. Katie Neeves is a celebrated trans advocate, photographer, founder of Cool2BTrans and a TransLucent team member whose tireless work empowers transgender people. Katie began her transition at the age of 48 and chose to share her journey openly through video and vlogging. Her trademark blend of humour and honesty has broken down barriers, challenged stigma, and educated audiences across the globe. Now a dynamic speaker and trainer, Katie delivers trans awareness sessions internationally, renowned for her engaging and inspiring style. Her work has taken her onto major platforms including ITV, BBC,…

Hampstead Heath Ladies Pond and Transphobia.  It isn’t about privacy, dignity or safety. It is about prejudice, discrimination and hate. Not my words, but from people who have contacted me, since we made it clear that TransLucent will undertake legal action to defend trans inclusion at the Ladies’ and not to be forgotten, Men’s pond. Because what that ruling did, according to the purveyors of transphobia in the gender-critical ideology movement, is that trans people should, nay, must be excluded from both the Ladies’ and Men’s ponds based on their birth sex and consequent gender reassignment. Trans men with…

A personal opinion by our CEO – this post does not represent TransLucent policy.  Since when has a space suitable for one person with a lockable door not been a single sex space? This simple sentence underscores the significance of privacy in defining a single sex space, particularly in the context of toilets. It’s about being behind a closed, lockable door, a space where one can feel dignified and secure. Many, quite legitimately, will argue that “single sex” starts at the entrance of a loo. Opponents can argue that male cleaners occupy hand washing areas, so that area is not…

HAMPSTEAD HEATH LADIES POND – “It’s not about women. It’s about a trophy” These are not my words, but those of a cisgender woman who regularly swims at the pond and is utterly disgusted by a tiny minority of women who are transphobic and use the word “woman” as their weapon and shield. As CEO of TransLucent, I want to make it very clear that all the time I am in tenure, we will fight transphobia on the streets, in parliament and in the courts. As an organisation, we announced our intention with yesterday’s statement that TransLucent had intervened in…

A message from Rebecca Jones:  Attention UK-based people, I need YOU to help me challenge NHS Blood & Transplant’s policies towards Trans & Non-Binary people. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rAPx8gpSix5Msf_HOu5cZhg6qSamNZiCtlDZLDc17yE/edit?usp=sharing In July 2024, NHS Blood & Transplant changed its policy to test trans people’s haemoglobin levels exclusively like their sex at birth against scientific consensus. I have been investigating this over the past few months to understand why the NHS made this decision, and how we can make them change their policies. What I was told concerned me greatly, especially when the NHS acknowledged it was a problem and did not give me a commitment on when they would…

The “Not In Our Name” collective of cisgender women, including Alice Litman’s mother, rejects discrimination against trans people and states the real threat to women is male violence, not trans people. They stand in solidarity with trans people. Continue Reading We Welcome NION – The “Not In Our Name” Women’s Collective.

Trans women and non-binary people assigned male at birth can develop prostate conditions like cancer and BPH, and while hormones or orchidectomy may reduce risk, it is not eliminated, so they should discuss concerns and PSA testing with their doctor. Continue Reading Promoting Transgender Prostate Cancer Health with Prostate Cancer UK

Beyond Biology: Understanding the Nuances of Gender explains that sex is a biological category while gender is a broader social and psychological concept shaped by biological predispositions, psychological development, and environmental, social, and cultural influences, existing along a spectrum. Continue Reading Beyond Biology: Understanding the Nuances of Gender

The Impact of Gender-Critical Ideology on Society In recent years, the debate surrounding gender identity has intensified, with gender-critical ideologies, which typically reject the idea that a person can identify as a gender different from their assigned sex at birth, emerging as a significant force in this discussion. The societal impact of these ideologies, which often undermine the validity of transgender identities, is profound, creating a hostile environment not just for trans people but also for anyone not conforming to traditional gender norms. Gender-critical ideology has also divided feminism, the consequence of which is that feminism has failed to overcome…