Which countries are "Safe" for (trans) women?

[KathyLauren]

My "escape" passport is Irish for the same reasons.  If I have to leave Canada because of spreading *rumpism, Ireland is a good choice, the only drawback being the high cost of living.  The EU connection was significant for me as well.

[Tills]

You'd have to register with authorities if you stay more than three months in a country where you aren't a citizen, and there are conditions pertaining to self-financing to be met as well. But apart from that you are free to move within EU. I am not too impressed by the UK referendum and the following exit, and I guess you aren't either, but things are as they are.

Hi Anna,

I don't have a problem registering but you don't have to register in all EU countries. Also if you stay there for 5 years you automatically become a permanent resident.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/residence/residence-rights/index_en.htm#eu-citizen 🔗

https://european-union.europa.eu/live-work-study/living-eu_en 🔗

xx

[Tills]

My "escape" passport is Irish for the same reasons.  If I have to leave Canada because of spreading *rumpism, Ireland is a good choice, the only drawback being the high cost of living.  The EU connection was significant for me as well.

Yes it's expensive in Ireland isn't it? But I'd rather cut my cloth to measure and have the freedom to be the person I am without exclusion or judgement. I've put my Scottish place up for sale and I am intending to emigrate to Ireland. I'm done with the UK.

It's possible that years further on I might settle in a different EU country if I still have breath but that's over the horizon for now. I will make my home in Ireland. It's a great place with lovely people. I remember just feeling the weight lift off me: a sense of being totally relaxed to be me. Yes, certainly, you can find prejudice anywhere but in Ireland you're properly protected by enshrined laws and with the shield of the EU to back you up.

The Emerald Isle it will be ☘️

xx

[Tills]

There are a few national and global developments at the moment in what feels like a very volatile and febrile world.

In the past 24 hours two Trump-backed national leaders have been defeated: Flávio Bolsanaro in Brazil and Aleksandar Vučić in Serbia. Tomorrow, Tuesday, electors go to the polls in Israel with the result apparently on a knife-edge.

On the counter side to this the veteran right-winger Marine Le Pen has just launched her bid to win next year's French Presidential elections. This is a volatile time in France, and elsewhere, and populists like her may still succeed.

All of which leads us to next week's midterms. Current projections show the Democrats will win the House. But will they win back the Senate? Will Texas really vote in a Democrat Senator? Or will they opt for the execrable Ken Paxton? These mid-terms really matter because they might lead to a lame-duck Presidency, which the Donald will really hate. If that happens, prepare for fireworks. Also prepare for GOP in-fighting. But will the U.S. really, really, deliver such a crushing blow to Trump? I hope so, of course, but I'm not so sure.

Not that I think it would be correct to assume that ALL anti-trans attacks comes from the Right, or the Far Right. As we know, there is a strange tie-up with trans-exclusionary radical feminists which, theoretically at least, is more from the hard Left.

Here in the UK there are a couple of interesting developments. One is that the Scottish and Welsh national parties who have majorities in their own Parliaments are pressing for independence elections. The new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, despite being pro-devolution, is currently refusing the plebiscite to these countries. Classic Labour!!

The other interesting development is a LOT of noise about the UK rejoining the EU. There seems to be widespread recognition that Brexit has been an economic disaster for Britain. But there's also now the heightened national security risk. Because of the current isolationist streak in the GOP which means NATO (or Europe anyway) can no longer rely on the U.S., because of global volatility especially from Vladimir Putin, and because of the UK being outside of the EU, the UK is currently looking particularly isolated and vulnerable from a defence and security perspective. Add to this an unfolding situation regarding the football club Manchester City. Yes seriously! Football (soccer) is a geopolitical issue because it is threatening to shake the collaboration between the UK and the Arabic countries of the Middle East. If those ties break then the UK is left even more isolated.

I write all the above in as fair and objective a manner as I hope I can. And here's my personal comment. Do I think Scotland will gain independence? No. I doubt the UK Government will permit the new referendum. And even if they did, there's no guarantee the Scots will vote for independence. Vested interests are very good at promulgating the status quo.

Do I think that the UK will rejoin the EU? No. Again, the vested interests of right-wing media barons are so huge that I don't think it's going to happen. And there are still so many people, particularly older people, who harken for a golden era (which never actually existed) that there's no guarantee at all that this sad old country will do anything other than continue its current downward vortex into misery.

All of which leaves the UK as a very exposed place to be right now, particularly for a transgendered person. And unless you are living fully out as a woman (who was born into a male body) I don't think it's okay to comment or say that it's not as bad as we think or that it will all be alright really. When you're actually living the real life experience in this country then you know that it is increasingly hostile and toxic. It's not sufficient to pronounce from outside or theoretically. Living in this place fully out as the real you ... then you see and experience just what an unsafe country this is becoming for anyone who wants to step outside and be their real self.

I am accordingly voting with my feet. I feel I have no choice if I want to be true to me.

Bye bye Britain.

xx

[Stottie Girl]

Whilst I agree with a lot of what you say geopolitically. I am sorry, but I simply do not believe that my country (UK) is as hostile as you say it is, well maybe I should adjust that to my region as I rarely go outside of it except to Scotland and the English Lakes.

I appreciate that you say my opinions as someone who is not out yet are invalid but I repectfully and strongly disagree. It is a little unfair to just dismiss my views, I am a citizen of the UK. I have eyes and ears. I see a staff member at work who is effortlessly going about their working days, active on the intranet, on social media and generally receiving positive interactions with everyone. My place of work (A local authority) has NOT introduced the new bathroom rules, transwomen are still permitted to use female spaces. Whether that is because of the fact that local authorities have a tier of legislation above the Equalities act or whether it is because they are so slow to react or maybe they do not wish to follow the "Guidance" in the first place (lets not forget this is not a legally binding thing here, nobody will get prosecuted for breaching it). At work it is lke nothing has changed. I see trans women at the local pubs and in supermarkets and I have never seen or heard bad comments or confrontations. People look but no-one says anything, nobody is judging, at least outwardly. I understand that you may be having a dirrerant experience but you do not live here. Maybe there are regional variations in attitudes. The people of the North East are famously friendly and welcoming after all!

I respect your decision to vote with your feet and leave, but I for one still think Britain is an inclusive society, an inherently good society and things just are not as bad as you are making out. I see the support for Reform slipping away bit by bit. They are a one policy party, wolves in sheeps clothing, People are starting to realise this, if any other party offers a realistic solution to out of control immigration they are sunk.

I believe the world is on the brink of swinging back to the left again.

On the other points, I will defend Scotland's right to an independance referendum but they have had one not so long ago. The issue is it is destabling for the union to keep having it time and time again. I think they have a valid argument about brexit changing things though, which brings me onto another referrendum possibility, Brexit. Brexit has been a failure because none of the weasely politicians have really been giving it a chance. They have been actively hoping it will fail. If there is no political will to embrace the opportunities that closer ties with the rest of the world could bring then it is time for another referrendum on rejoining. It will cost us a fortune but I see no other way forward. A lot of the country's woes were leveled at the EU but in truth, it is our own ruthless free market capitalist elite (spawned by Thatcherism and the Reagan era) that are destroying the country from within (my opinion).

If we rejoin the EU it would also remove Scotland's legitimate reason for a second referrendum. If Scotland were to leave, then the UK is shattered. Without rejoining the EU, I support their claim for independance and wish the North East would switch allegiances again and join them.We do NOT feel like part of england up here at all. We are ignored, bypassed and disregarded by the goverrment and political institutions of this country. I believe in being part of the UK but we have been part of Scotland many times over the centuries after all!

Just my two cents🤣😁

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

I think the worrying part is institutionally, for example the NHS guidance to put trans people on wards of thier birth sex, issues using bathrooms / changing rooms in public facilities and also access to gender affirming care.

On the ground I'm with Sarah - I've received no hostility whilst alone and only get hostility when with my parner as he wears a lot of pink full care bears outfits as a man. That still is a problem. But walking around with my trans partner who doesn't fully pass on Sunday in Nottingham, we had no looks or bother.

I'm not necessarily optimistic about the position in the UK as it's pretty bad and could get worse. But I'm surprised how freely I can live my life as a trans woman considering how the media portrays the situation sometimes.

Guess like everything its not really simple. Moving is not an option here so have to try and do my best to have positive interactions with people I meet and hope that gains us allies.

[Stottie Girl]

I think the worrying part is institutionally, for example the NHS guidance to put trans people on wards of thier birth sex, issues using bathrooms / changing rooms in public facilities and also access to gender affirming care.

On the ground I'm with Sarah - I've received no hostility whilst alone and only get hostility when with my parner as he wears a lot of pink full care bears outfits as a man. That still is a problem. But walking around with my trans partner who doesn't fully pass on Sunday in Nottingham, we had no looks or bother.

I'm not necessarily optimistic about the position in the UK as it's pretty bad and could get worse. But I'm surprised how freely I can live my life as a trans woman considering how the media portrays the situation sometimes.

Guess like everything its not really simple. Moving is not an option here so have to try and do my best to have positive interactions with people I meet and hope that gains us allies.

It's great to get another balanced view from someone who is out in the community. Thank you for sharing Charlotte.

I worry that people from abroad will look at the UK as this far right hostile bitter country and outside the headlines, that could not be further from the truth. Yes, we have our issues, and yes, we maybe aren't top of the league when it comes to trans freedoms and acceptance but I'm sure those who transitioned in the 80's, 90's and maybe even 00's would be quick to point out that it is vastly improved since then. Okay there is a set back currently but the NHS thing would not affect planned operations and stays as they have the time to allocate a side room. I mean, wouldn't you rather be in a private side room with ensuite facilities anyway? I know I would lol! The A&E situation isn't great but I expect significant backlash against that.

There are a majority of people in this country who believe in human rights and providing dignity to those in vulnerable positions. I think things will change over time.

Yes, access to transgender care is appauling but when viewed in the wider context it is endemic across all "non-essential" NHS services. We are not being victimised when you look outside our bubble.

I'm just trying to inject a more positive view of our country as I do not believe that constantly slagging it off benefits anyone and it hurts our standing in the worlds view.

I may be a hopeless optimist of course 🤣😁

[Finally Anna]

But I'm surprised how freely I can live my life as a trans woman considering how the media portrays the situation sometimes.

Media does not give a balanced view and this is true regardless of where you live.

A balanced view would mean
- A lot of news that say: Things are good as they mostly are, noone got killed, there's no crisis and you can just continue your lives and be ok.
- And now and then the article that says: Bad things happened.

Because that is how the vast majority of the world and the vast majority of days are.

[Tills]

A few points of fact.

The SNP's argument for a second independence referendum is based on the Brexit vote which fundamentally altered the constitution of the UK and Scotland but for which the Scottish people did not vote (62% Remain, 38% Leave). That's their point.

The changes in UK legislation are a point of fact not opinion. the ruling of the Supreme Court, backed by the EHCR and new guidelines laid down by the UK Government and recently reiterated by NHS England in their policy statements aren't a matter of opinion. See here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/organisations-receive-clear-accessible-guidance-on-how-to-implement-equality-law-in-updated-draft-code-of-practice 🔗

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9983lv4dlno 🔗

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/15/trans-women-no-longer-to-be-placed-on-female-only-wards-under-new-nhs-england-guidance 🔗

So I wasn't really commenting on how x or y find life. I happen to pass and don't get challenged, but it's a point of UK law that I am now discriminated against and anyone thinking otherwise would be detached from the reality. At the same time, I don't see how anyone can sensibly or realistically argue that hostility and toxicity to trans people in rhe UK hasn't increased.

Reform are barely slipping and any loss of support is only transferring to the Elon Musk-backed Restore party and the equally trans-exclusionary Conservatives:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election 🔗

Incidentally where I am in Surrey is solid LibDem: a Party which is trans supportive. Where I am in Scotland is solid SNP: a Party which is also trans supportive. As The Scottish Gov't has sadly discovered, that's irrelevant. The UK Supreme Court has supreme jurisdiction, unless somehow there's a successful appeal in the EU Courts, which seems unlikely.

Finally, describing someone as balanced just because they happen to agree with you isn't especially endearing

I'm afraid that anyone living outside or reading your reply Sarah who thinks that the UK is now, by law, a safe place for a trans woman would be misguided. This is not my own opinion or yours for that matter. Rainbow Map, who have studiously and painstakingly, assessed these things have significantly downgraded the UK to just 43.9%:

https://rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org/ 🔗

https://rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org/countries/united-kingdom/ 🔗

This now makes the UK one of the least trans safe countries in Western Europe by a series of empirical metrics. That's not my opinion.

I have desisted from Ad Hominem because it's a low bar, but I repeat that unless you're living real life out as a woman in the UK (or trans man for that matter although they are less in the crosshairs) then I don't see how it's really possible to give an authentically valid insider's perspective?

I've been fortunate, or mad, enough to travel all over the world and live in several countries. I've seen some which are very hostile to trans people and some that are very friendly. Alas, the UK is not now one of the latter.

xx

[Stottie Girl]

Well there is no need to get defensive Tills. I am in no way attacking you, I would never do that. I said balanced because somebody is offering a different opinion rather than absolutes and dismissing anyone elses opinion because their experience does not match yours. Not because they agreed with part of my argument. Two differing opinions offers a balanced debate in my book. I'm not saying either is right, they are opinions.

I simply do not believe that the UK is "unsafe" for transwomen. Clearly it is not top of the lists for trans freedoms but that does not make it unsafe which is such a strong wording, at least to me.

I'm sorry you felt I was attacking you, I hope by now you know how much I respect you. Your opinion is your own and I'm not trying to disuade you from that. You have came to your own conclusions. I am offering a different view that I personally hold and saying it is not valid is not endearing either😉

The trans bathroom thing is about "guidance" or "Statuatory code of practice". Yes it carries legal weight but it is not criminal law and you cannot be prosecuted for either ignoring it as a trans person or deciding not to implement it as a business, which was my point. Yes, the Supreme Court clarification of the definition of a woman was a legal ruling and yes that is hurtful and a backwards step but there are still trans protections in this country.

Finally, I did not say trans hostility has not increased, it undoubtably has. As has racisim for that matter. These things are to be expected when far right agendas become more prominant. I'm saying that the situation, in my opinion, is not as bleak or as stark as you have decided it is. And it has not (again in my opinion and based on my "outsider" observations going back over 40 years) returned to how it was when I was growing up.

You have arrived at a different conclusion which is fine. I'm not wanting to fall out over that, everyone can have their own opinion.

For what it is worth I do not think we should be happy about any of these recent changes, they should be fought over and If I ever fall victim of them then I shall do precisely that.

[big kim]

Still nowhere near as bad as the 90s. I transitioned full time in 1991 and discrimination was everywhere. No protection at work.Extreme difficulty finding employment.
I remember getting a letter from Charing Cross hospital saying I was having treatment for transexualism and wearing female clothing was a part of the treatment. It was to be produced if stopped by the police.

[Finally Anna]

An interesting question is: Was it actually better?
I don't mean back in the 70s, 80s, 90s, but five years ago? Or 10? Or three?

Rhetoric and laws notwithstanding: Was it actually better in 2022 than in 2026?

[Stottie Girl]

An interesting question is: Was it actually better?
I don't mean back in the 70s, 80s, 90s, but five years ago? Or 10? Or three?

Rhetoric and laws notwithstanding: Was it actually better in 2022 than in 2026?

I would have to imagine that it has taken a step backwards. I think that much is probably true.

[Tills]

An interesting question is: Was it actually better?
I don't mean back in the 70s, 80s, 90s, but five years ago? Or 10? Or three?

Rhetoric and laws notwithstanding: Was it actually better in 2022 than in 2026?

Legally and representationally in the UK, unequivocally yes. That's a point of fact not conjecture. And I'm not sure how the safety of trans people in the UK can be quantified "notwithstanding" the laws. The laws are there precisely to protect trans people and they have clearly, and evidentially, been rolled back in the UK. Anyone actually really trying to dispute that ?!!

I would direct people to the work of the ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) who have clearly downgraded the UK based on a series of empirical and quantifiable metrics. In 2015 the UK was placed 1st in their European rankings. Now it has dropped to its lowest ever rating 22nd.

ILGA-Europe's 2026 Rainbow Map shows the UK remaining in 22nd place out of 49 European countries, continuing a concerning trend of stagnation and regression on LGBTQIA+ rights.

The UK scored just 6.57% for legal gender recognition and 0% for intersex bodily integrity protections. ILGA-Europe also notes that recent legal developments have made legal gender recognition increasingly inaccessible in the UK.

A decade ago, the UK was recognised as a leader in LGBTQIA+ equality. Today's ranking reflects the urgent need for renewed commitment and action from governments across the UK to protect and strengthen LGBTQIA+ rights.

Consortium supports ILGA-Europe's recommendations, including banning conversion practices, improving access to timely and inclusive trans healthcare, and strengthening legal protections for trans and intersex people.
https://www.consortium.lgbt/2026/05/14/consortiums-statement-on-the-uks-continued-decline-in-the-ilga-europe-rainbow-map-2026/ 🔗

I take the work of the ILGA seriously, as do Stonewall, and their data is of an unequivocal decline in safety for trans people and their rights in the UK manifested in both legal changes and a rise in hate crime.

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/resources/lgbtq-hubs/trans-hub/trans-equality 🔗

The rise in trans hate crime

Over the years, Stonewall has worked to create a more inclusive society, fighting for equal marriage, inclusive education and anti-discrimination laws. Yet despite this progress, anti-trans hate crime has risen from 2,799 instances recorded by police in 2020/21 to 4,780 instances in 2023/24. Abuse takes place online, on our streets, and in public spaces, leaving many LGBTQ+ people feeling unsafe in their daily lives.

Latest research shows that fewer than half (44%) of LGBTQ+ people feel safe holding their partner's hand in public. The true scale of the problem is almost certainly higher, since fewer than 1 in 10 LGBTQ+ people report hate crimes or incidents, according to the Government's National LGBT Survey.

This trend is not isolated to the UK. ILGA-Europe's 2025 Rainbow Map paints a stark picture of regression across some countries in Europe, and a corresponding increase in hate crime.

However, it is right to point out that the UK has often been a bigoted country. My brother, who was gay, found that homophobia in the UK was alive and kicking throughout his life, and we know that racism certainly is. The UK in reality is not, and probably never has been, a tolerant or progressive country. This article about this is interesting:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/17/britain-europe-lgbtq-rights-uk-rainbow-map-gay-man 🔗

More from the ILGA about the UK's decline as a safe country for trans people:

https://ilga.org/about-us/ 🔗

https://www.ilga-europe.org/ 🔗

https://www.rainbow-project.org/rainbow-map/ 🔗

There are numerous other surveys and news reports supporting those findings e.g.

https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/12/uk-must-stand-trans-rights-decline-support-young-people-22536731/ 🔗
https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/british-societal-attitudes-survey-trans-abortion-gay-sex/ 🔗
https://transactual.org.uk/equality-act-campaign/ 🔗

Wiki puts the situation starkly: as of 2026, transgender people — people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth— are only recognised under UK Equality law as their "biological sex" as assigned at birth, i.e. trans women are considered men, and trans men are considered women, with relevant legal rights and privileges determined entirely on the basis of such.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_rights_in_the_United_Kingdom 🔗

Anyone is welcome to edit and re-write that Wiki paragraph, but on what legal basis will you do so? Anecdotes won't cut the mustard.

As OP of this thread, personal opinions have a place but a polite reminder to keep on topic Which countries are "Safe" for (trans) women. This thread only has value for future viewers from our world if it is factual.

[Tills]

This is probably the point to pause discussion on the UK please, for now. If there are any changes to legislation or trans rights in the UK, or any other Government / NHS / Judicial positions then perhaps people can refer to these. The EU issue is only relevant in so far as the EU affords certain additional legal protections for trans people. And because a member of any EU state can freely move and live in any other member state. That's the biggie, as @Devlyn has often pointed out.

Otherwise perhaps we can keep on topic about which countries are actually "safe" for (trans) women? It will continue to be a helpful resource.

xx
(OP of thread)

(p.s. Anyone is very welcome to start a separate thread for opinions or anecdotes and if they buck the trend, great. But I'd like this thread to stay factual and empirical please: thanks xx)

[Finally Anna]

The list on the ILGA site gives some sort of ranking, based mostly (only?) on legislation.