On October 10, 2025, the United Kingdom found itself at the crossroads of two intensifying conflicts: the struggle for timely transgender healthcare and the eruption of protests at one of Europe’s largest feminist gatherings. The convergence of these issues has ignited passionate debate, drawn national attention, and left many wondering how the country will move forward in balancing rights, safety, and access for all.
A bombshell report compiled by QueerAF and What the Trans!?—using data secured under the Freedom of Information Act—revealed that trans+ people in the UK can face wait times of up to 25 years for their first National Health Service (NHS) appointment before even beginning to access gender-affirming care. According to Socialist Worker, the Tavistock and Portman gender identity clinic in London alone currently has 16,500 patients on its waiting list and is only now offering appointments to those who were referred five years ago. In Manchester, the situation is similarly dire, with a reported 12-year wait for life-saving care.
These numbers are not just statistics—they represent real lives in limbo. Sky, a trans woman who waited four years for her own care, told Socialist Worker, “When I heard about the report, I had a feeling of dread. I am little older than some trans+ people so I only waited for four years. In Manchester it is 12 years waiting for life-saving care. If I was younger, I know I would be caught up waiting lists and this would do irreparable damage. Trans+ people will kill themselves. Already, some 40 percent have attempted suicide.”
The process to obtain gender-affirming care on the NHS is a drawn-out ordeal. Applicants must first secure a referral from a general practitioner to a gender clinic, after which they wait for an initial assessment. This process, as reported by Socialist Worker, often includes invasive questioning about identity and personal history, leaving many feeling as if they must prove they are “trans enough.”
Louisa, another trans woman, shared her experience: “I was referred for my first appointment in 2016. It was really difficult to get referred. I had to visit three GPs before I found one who would refer me. Even then it was humiliating because they ask about your sexual history. The GP asked me if I wear women’s clothes. I said I’m wearing women’s clothes—my jeans. The doctor made the sexist assumption that women’s clothes were high heels and a skirt.”
Louisa’s wait was a moving target: “When I first phoned, it was a 38 weeks. The next time, it was 58 weeks and then it was 130 weeks. The appointment was getting further away from me—I stopped calling. I got my first appointment on the NHS in 2021. But I had already paid for some private speech therapy because that is so important to how you present.” She estimates she spent between £6,000 and £8,000 on private care due to the delays—a cost many cannot afford. “A normal job won’t help you build up funds you need—I have spent between £6,000 £8,000 already.”
The psychological toll is immense. “Waiting so long has a huge impact on mental health,” Louisa explained. “You say, ‘I am trans, this is real’, and you think about what changes you want but nothing happens so body dysphoria can intensify. Having five years stuck in that place is very damaging. I was forced to pay privately for speech therapy and hormones and this pushed me back into sex work and this is a common experience.”
The scale of the crisis is growing. In March 2025, there were 48,000 people awaiting their initial appointment with a gender clinic—a staggering 12.5% increase from the previous year, according to QueerAF and What the Trans!?.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has promised a new scheme to reduce waiting times. Yet, his record has drawn fire from campaigners: he has supported Labour’s transphobic attacks and backed the Supreme Court’s transphobic ruling earlier this year. As Sky put it, “To know that because of austerity and the transphobia started by Tories and continued by Labour and sharpened by the far right, we are being denied life-saving health care is horrendous. Trans + teenagers are being forced to go through the most difficult years without care and without the puberty blockers which are now banned and which could make such a difference to their lives.”
Public support for trans+ rights remains robust, as demonstrated by mass mobilisations against the Supreme Court ruling. Still, the gap between policy and lived experience remains wide, and the consequences are felt daily by those waiting for care.
Against this backdrop of healthcare delays and political controversy, tensions boiled over in Brighton, where the FiLiA Women’s Liberation Conference—a three-day event billed as Europe’s largest grassroots feminist gathering—became the target of direct action. According to the Daily Mail, members of the transgender activist group Bash Back covered the Brighton Centre in pink paint and smashed one of its windows, posting videos and statements on social media. The group declared they would not allow the conference to proceed without resistance, accusing FiLiA and its alumni—including journalist Julie Bindel, LGB Alliance, and “Scottish Lesbian”—of promoting transphobia and being behind the 2025 Supreme Court segregationist ruling.
Julie Bindel, herself attending the conference, posted images of the damage on X (formerly Twitter), which were subsequently retweeted by author JK Rowling. “Trans activists have smashed one of the large front windows of the Brighton Centre—the venue where 2500 feminists are meeting this weekend to talk about male violence, misogyny and the like,” Bindel wrote. “Why can’t EVERYONE see this movement for what it is?”
This was not Bash Back’s first high-profile action. The group also claimed responsibility for vandalising the constituency office of Health Secretary Wes Streeting in August, writing on social media, “Don’t want action? Don’t kill kids.” Streeting responded, “Repeated criminal damage is unfair to my staff and an attack on democracy. I will not be commenting further while there is a live police investigation.”
Other transgender groups joined the protest. Trans Liberation Front Brighton plastered posters across the city and rallied members for a three-day demonstration outside the Brighton Centre, underscoring the depth of feeling within the community.
FiLiA CEO Lisa-Marie Taylor defended the conference’s mission, stating, “FiLiA is a charity that campaigns for a world free from patriarchy where all women and girls are liberated. In line with the Equality Act (2010) we support the provision of single sex services and dispute that this equates to transphobia. Brighton is a city of sanctuary—in 2025 it is surely vital that the city supports all groups protected under the Equality Act, including sex-based rights, and promotes diversity and peaceful discussion.”
The Brighton Centre itself sought to emphasize neutrality and inclusion, commenting, “We understand the anxiety and stress that many of our trans, non-binary and intersex residents are feeling at this time. As a city, venue and a council, we will continue to strive towards our unwavering commitment to creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging.”
As the UK grapples with mounting waitlists for trans healthcare and heightened protest activity at public events, the country stands at a pivotal moment. The voices of those waiting—sometimes for decades—for care, and those rallying for their rights in the streets, are growing louder and more insistent. The next steps, whether taken by government, healthcare providers, or grassroots movements, will shape the future for generations of trans+ Britons and their allies.
