Transgender

Transgender is a term applied to people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. It is often shortened to trans.

A trans woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth; a trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Both terms describe the person's current gender identity, not the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-binary people identify as neither exclusively male nor female. Transgender is used as an umbrella term encompassing all of these identities.

In Scotland, the legal definition of transgender also includes people who cross dress .

Being transgender is distinct from sexual orientation.

Some transgender people seek medical assistance to transition, including hormone replacement therapy and surgery; those who do are sometimes described as transsexual. Others transition socially without medical intervention. Not all transgender people wish to, or are able to, transition medically.

Legal recognition

In the UK, the Gender Recognition Act 2004 provides a legal process by which transgender people can obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), changing their legal sex. The process requires a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and evidence of living in the acquired gender for at least two years.

Medical care

In April 2024, Dr Hilary Cass published an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people in England, commissioned by NHS England. The review found that the evidence base for medical interventions in gender care for young people was limited, and recommended holistic assessment for young people referred to specialist clinics . The review was welcomed by some as a necessary safeguarding measure; trans rights organisations argued it risked denying necessary care to transgender young people.

Detransition

A small number of people who have transitioned later choose to detransition, returning to living as their birth sex. See detransition.

Transgender people in public life

The first sitting Member of Parliament to come out as transgender was Jamie Wallis (later known as Katie Wallis), the Conservative MP for Bridgend, who announced she was transgender in March 2022, having been elected to the seat in December 2019. She served as MP until 2024.

Legal and social developments

In April 2025 the UK Supreme Court ruled in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers that "woman", "man" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex. The ruling has had significant implications for trans people's access to single-sex services and spaces across the UK, and has affected participation in sport specifically. Following the ruling, several UK sporting governing bodies changed their policies to exclude trans women from women's categories, including the FA in England (effective June 2025), the Scottish Football Association, England Netball, and the England and Wales Cricket Board; several other governing bodies, including British Cycling, British Rowing, and UK Athletics, had introduced similar restrictions prior to the ruling.

LGBT-specific sporting events have taken a different approach. The Federation of Gay Games has maintained an inclusive policy, with Gay Games XII (Valencia, 2026) welcoming athletes to compete in categories matching their gender identity without medical or legal documentation requirements. EuroGames 2027, to be held in Cardiff — the first large-scale LGBTQ-inclusive multisport event of its kind in the UK — has likewise affirmed a trans-inclusive approach.

In December 2025, Girlguiding announced it would no longer accept trans girls as new members, citing the Supreme Court ruling. See Girlguiding and transgender membership.

References

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