Summary
Urgent Travel Advisory Issued for Trans and Gender Diverse People - Stay safe. Stay away from the UK.
Urgent Travel Advisory Issued for Trans and Gender Diverse People.
An urgent travel advisory has been issued warning LGBTQIA+ people, and particularly trans and gender-diverse travellers, about the risks of visiting or relocating to the UK.
The advisory was published on 30 June 2026 by the Trans Exile Network (TEN) and countersigned by TACC (Trans Advocacy and Complaints Collective), Compton’s Café CIC, and Transpilot.
What the Advisory Says
The advisory is being circulated to EU and other national organisations that advise or support LGBTQIA+ people, offer travel to the UK, or publish travel and safety guidance. It sets out a series of concerns rooted in recent UK legal and policy changes, including the non-recognition of legal gender changes for equality purposes, restrictions on access to single-sex spaces, the placement of trans prisoners according to sex assigned at birth, and NHS ward allocation policies.
Speaking as part of the release, former Scottish judge Dr Victoria McCloud, now living in exile in Ireland, described the advisory’s core message as “stay safe, stay away“.
In terms of legal recognition, the UK ranks among the lowest-ranked in Europe, alongside Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, Russia, and Slovakia. Further, the Lemkin Institute has issued the UK a second red flag, warning of the social genocide of trans people.
Why This Matters
The advisory reflects a wider shift in the UK’s legal landscape following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of sex under the Equality Act, and the subsequent Code of Practice developed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
For many in our community, this news will be sobering but not surprising, as it puts into words a reality that trans people navigating UK public life have been experiencing directly.
Standing With Our Colleagues
We want to highlight the work of TEN, TACC, and Compton’s Café CIC in bringing international attention to these issues, including Carla Ottersen’s detailed coverage of the advisory published via Compton’s Café.
We will continue to monitor developments in UK law and policy as they unfold, and we encourage anyone with questions about their own situation to reach out to TEN, TACC, Compton’s Café, or TransLucent directly for support. TransLucent endorses the message that the UK is not a welcoming country for trans and gender diverse people, and they should avoid travelling to the UK.
Urgent Travel Advisory Issued for Trans and Gender Diverse People
