Trans+ History Week

Last week marked the second annual Trans+ History Week, founded by QueerAF in 2024.
 

In the words of QueerAF, Trans+ History Week is a week to celebrate “the rich history of transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse, and intersex individuals through stories, events and lesson books for the whole world to use.”

For the second year running, the House of Commons has entered onto its record recognition of Trans+ History Week, noting in this years’ motion:

“That this House welcomes the second annual Trans+ History Week; notes the week held from 5 to 11 May 2025 will celebrate the millennia-old history and contributions of transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse and intersex people; highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Trans+ communities that includes high rates in hate crimes and threats to their rights; encourages efforts to protect Trans+ rights as well as ensuring Trans+ histories are included in education public life; and further welcomes Trans+ History Week efforts to ensure that all Trans+ people can thrive in a future of dignity respect and equality.”

The history of transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse, and intersex people is long and deep-rooted. It is also notoriously under-researched.

However we know of many cultures and communities from across the globe that have recognised gender-diverse, transgender and non-binary identities for centuries. From Koekchuch people in 18th Century Siberia, to the Hijra community in South Asia (records for whom span several hundreds of years), to gender non-conforming Indigenous North Americans, sometimes called Two-Spirit. Indeed, we have historical records of transgender and non-binary people dating back to between 5,000 – 3,000 BCE in ancient Sumer (modern day Iraq).

Two personal favourites of mine include Elagabalus, Roman Emperor from 218 to 222 CE who was said to have openly defied contemporary gender roles and used she/her pronouns despite being assigned male at birth; and Tamara Rees, a World War II hero who served on the front lines, who after the war underwent gender-affirming surgery.

While the history of transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse, and intersex people is long, so is their oppression, discrimination and persecution, often alongside other members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Discrimination sadly remains a fact of life for many transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse, and intersex people in Britain to this day. Across the globe, homosexuality and gender non-conformity is a crime in many countries, sometimes punishable by imprisonment or even death.

When thinking about Trans+ History Week and preparing this blog, I could not help but also think about recent history and the Supreme Court’s decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, and the effect it will have on the treatment of Trans* people in the UK in the coming weeks, months and years.  It is not a positive picture.   

Each year on 17 May we also mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), a “global moment for collective action, awareness, solidarity, and visibility” [quote is from here: https://may17.org/]] for the LGBTQIA+ community.

The 21st Century saw a steady improvement in Trans* rights in the UK and across the globe. In 2004, Parliament passed the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) which finally provided a mechanism for people to gain legal recognition of their affirmed sex (which in this context is sometimes interchangeable with references to gender). While the GRA only provided for a binary change in a person’s legally recognised sex (thus excluding any mechanism for non-binary people or those whose gender is not exclusively and consistently ‘man’ or ‘woman’, concepts recognised in many ancient and modern cultures), it was a very important step forward and it seemed at the time that the lives of Trans* people would gradually improve.

However, despite a period of progress, in recent years Trans* and gender non-conforming people have faced increasing levels of discrimination, hate and violence.

Since 2013, the ILGA-Europe, an advocacy group promoting the interests of the LGBTQIA+ community, has annually published a review on the state of LGBTQIA+ rights in Europe called Rainbow Europe.

The UK topped the rankings in 2013, 2014 and 2015 – with 2015 being the UK’s highest ranking at 86% progress towards full respect of human rights and full equality. Between 2016 and 2018 the UK remained in the top four countries in Europe.

However, since 2019, the UK’s ranking has steadily declined, and dropped quite dramatically in recent years to just 52% progress for 2024 and 45% progress for 2025. Further information on this here.

A Trans rights map created by Trans Europe and Central Asia (TGEU) also recently revealed that for the first time in over a decade, the setbacks in Trans rights outweigh any progress made.

A recent open letter signed by nearly 750 academic historians (at the time of writing) decries the centuries of criminalisation, oppression and interventions by the state and others.

What is clear is that life for Trans* and queer people in the UK has overall become less safe in recent years, and particularly in recent weeks.

We have also seen in the USA and more widely a significant and concerted effort to push back on ‘equality, diversity and inclusion’ more broadly. These efforts risk the decades of progress we have enjoyed in the UK being rolled back. It’s important that everyone plays their part in preserving our progress to date, and to work towards the inclusion of all, rather than the exclusion of some.

For now, I hope everyone had a very joyous Trans+ History Week.

(The term Trans* is intended to refer to a broad and full spectrum of trans and non-binary people and identities, and is inclusive of all gender diverse and non-conforming identities).