This week, PinkNews published an article by Ayman Eckford, one of our Refugee Advisory Panel members. Ayman highlights the increasingly hostile policies which are harming trans+ people and refugees, and the importance of Pride as a protest. Read the full article on PinkNews, or find a summary below.
When I arrived in the UK six years ago as an asylum seeker, I was stunned by how LGBTQI+ friendly the country seemed. I’ve known I was trans since I was four years old. But it was only here, in the UK, at the age of 24, that I finally felt safe enough to come out. Since then, much has changed. In 2015, the annual Rainbow Map and Index by ILGA-Europe ranked the UK as the most LGBTQI+ friendly country in Europe. But in the latest rankings released on 14 May, the UK has fallen to 22nd place, with an overall score of just 46%.
This drop isn’t abstract—it reflects growing hostility, dangerous rhetoric, and policies that especially target trans people. The recent Supreme Court ruling that redefines “woman” as “biological woman” under equality law is a particularly cruel institutional decision. Transmasculine people like me may soon be under direct attack as well. And then, as history shows, the broader LGBTQI+ community often follows. For people already facing multiple forms of oppression—like refugees and people seeking asylum—the danger is even greater.
The Cass Review: A Turning Point
I knew something was deeply wrong when the Cass Review was published in April 2024, and the NHS began blocking transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care. The review was widely criticized by both UK and international experts, but the damage was swift—especially for transgender kids.
The first attacks come for LGBTQI+ youth, because they are not taken seriously because they are considered to be “too immature” to think for themselves. Just like refugees, who are seen as “barbarians” from less developed societies. Those at the intersection suffer the most.
A Dangerous Shift in Politics
Despite its history as a progressive party, many trans activists now say Labour is doing more harm to LGBTQI+ people than recent Tory governments. Labour is even continuing the particularly dangerous for LGBTQI+ people anti-immigration policies introduced under Rishi Sunak.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently said the UK is considering sending rejected people seeking safety to third countries. Trans people seeking asylum already face daily harassment, even within refugee communities. Most third countries lack the legal protections they need. Deportation could cut them off from hormone therapy or vital healthcare.
And all this is happening as far-right movements gain more support. The rise of the transphobic, anti-migrant Reform Party, the far-right riots last summer, and increasing global conservatism are life-threatening for LGBTQI+ refugees.
Pride as Protest: What Must Be Done
In recent years, Pride has become a celebration—of victories, of corporate support, of police apologies. But we must remember: Pride was born as a protest. Today, it must return to its roots. It must be about resistance. Not “love is love,” but “the lives of our queer and trans siblings are at risk.”
Just as the attacks on trans kids marked the start of broader attacks on LGBTQI+ people in the UK, the targeting of trans refugees and LGBTQI+ people seeking sanctuary is not the end of the story of oppression —it’s only the beginning. But we may change this story, and this is what Pride Month should be about.