Author: Steph

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Steph Richards (she/her) is a 74-year-old human rights activist, intersectional feminist, and recipient of a 2023 Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Award. Holding a Gender Recognition Certificate and "post op", she is the founder and Chair of Translucent.Org.UK, which was named LGBT Organisation of the Year at the 2022 National Diversity Awards. Steph was also shortlisted as a Positive Role Model for Gender at the 2025 National Diversity Awards. Steph’s leadership spans political, healthcare, and community advocacy. She served as the Women’s and LGBT Officer for the Portsmouth Labour Party (2021–2024), co-founded the Women’s Action Network (Portsmouth), and is a former CEO of a women’s health charity. A passionate champion for women's healthcare, she possesses extensive expertise in baby loss awareness, actively defends UK abortion rights and is a member of "Women Against the Far-Right". Calling out VAWG, Steph has researched and written about 125 women and girls killed by a man. A prominent voice in national media and debate, Steph has been featured live on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Anti Social, Good Morning Britain, Times Radio, LBC, GB News, and Channel 4 News. In 2023, she debated trans human rights alongside Harvard biologist Dr. Carole Hooven at a prominent US university event.

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As a survivor of serious sexual abuse, I find talking about sex offenders distressing, so when the case of Isla Bryson (previously known as Adam Graham) became a matter of public discourse, I naturally take the victim’s side.  Graham conveniently started transitioning just before his trial. He (no, I will not use female pronouns) was charged with rape and was held for a spell in the female estate. In my view, that was wrong – no sex offender should ever be held in the female estate, even on remand.  I have no doubt some trans rights activists (tra’s) will criticise…

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Scrabble letters making the word feminist

If you want to be seen as a decent human being, I would strongly recommend you dont use the phrase “gender ideology.” Wikipedia says this – and if you are gender-critical (GC), to be clear, there is significant evidence to back this all up: The anti-gender movement is an international movement which opposes what it refers to as “gender ideology”, “gender theory” or “genderism”. The concepts cover a variety of issues and have no coherent definition. Members of the anti-gender movement include right-wingers and the far right, right-wing populists, conservatives, and Christian fundamentalists.  Members of the anti-gender movement oppose some LGBT rights,…

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Stop Button (on bus)

Last Saturday in Glasgow, a phenomenal trans rights rally took place protesting that the UK government had actioned S35 of the Scotland Act. Up to a thousand trans folk and allies chanted, waved trans flags and held up signs, the vast majority appropriate for the occasion. Sadly, however, a few were not. One read “Decapitate Terfs”, while another suggested that Terfs should “be eaten”. Needless to say, the trans-hostile media made capital out of such a silly own goal, ignoring the hundreds of perfectly good signs. Terfs, (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists) can be any of any sex. Still, one of…

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Profile picture of Steph

A couple of days ago I had to give a speech, to around 60 people. This is what I said: I am sure everyone knows that last Tuesday, the UK government announced their intention to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was recently passed overwhelmingly in the Scottish Parliament. This is the first time in history that Westminster has used the Scotland Act to block a devolved issue and, consequently, causing a potential constitutional crisis. Many human rights, LGBT organisations and allies have been left stunned at what has been described as the “Tory nuclear option”. I want…

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Poster on pole saying Every Human Has Rights

In the ongoing cultural war against trans people, particularly trans women, the “single-sex space debate” ranks high on the list. In a recent, separate post backed by over 100 Freedom of Information Requests, I established that the allegations concerning trans women in hospital wards are entirely unfounded. In this article, I will seek to do the same regarding trans women in domestic abuse (DA) shelters. No one should doubt that anyone can be subjected to domestic abuse and violence – and while such vital services are predominantly used by cisgender women, it needs to be recognised that proportionately, trans women…

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Transgender Healthcare - hospitals survey 2022

Our findings after raising 102 Freedom of Information Requests to NHS Foundation Trusts.  A few examples of the FOI requests that were sent out.When anyone is referred to a hospital, they expect to be treated with respect, privacy and decency; obviously, many women prefer female doctors, nurses and facilities.As a trans woman, I get that. Indeed, I have always had a female GP and invariably ask for female health practitioners. Most times, but not always, I get my wish.But what happens when the worst-case scenario occurs, and we become an inpatient in a hospital?Hospital wards have been “weaponised” by some…

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On the 23rd of December, a new Gender Critical group with the handle @LegallyMale appeared on Twitter. Their bio read: “Representing the interests of women who are not trans identified but are considering making use of the Scottish GRA to become legally male”. Wow! Just why would a woman, who is not trans, want to become a man? Clearly, Legally Male is upset because a law permitting self-determination of legal gender has been passed in a historic vote in Scotland. Given all the misinformation concerning this bill, they are not alone. The right-wing media outlets have been stoking fear for…

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This is my very first post on the Translucent website, and yes, I am back with my very own section that no one here at Translucent will edit or change in any way! With the original Steph’s Place website soon to be made defunct, part of “the deal” was that I would continue to write a blog…and I could say what I like! How tempting! I could give you insight into how private Twitter DM’s, were made public by (heaven forbid) a fellow trans activist. Why? Because he didn’t like my opinions of being a rad fem! Or I could…

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Editorials

On the 19th of November 2022, the right-wing (some would say far-right) Spectator published an article by Julie Bindel – titled Why is Eventbrite Censoring Feminists? Julie apparently has claimed she is a socialist. Several journalists also claim they have left- wing views but increasingly write for far-right publications, often stating that left-wing ones refuse their work. In her article, Julie praises the work of Karen Ingala Smith, who has written the book ‘Defending Women’s Spaces’, and in her piece uses the phrases ‘transgender ideology’ and ‘trans ideology.’ The truth is trans people are not an ideology – we are simply…

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