ICYMI - We had a small presence at the London Anarchist Bookfair's Afterparty!
Thank you so much to LABF for allowing us this opportunity, and host Gladys Ova ( @ritesofhadda.bsky.social ) for reading our speech and leading chants!
We will not be silenced.
The fight continues.
xoxo BASH BACK
![It's been a rough year.
In February, we received updated draft statutory
guidance on gender for schools in England that risks real
harm to trans youth, with more than an echo of Section
28 [1].
In May, the UK dropped yet further in the ILGA Europe
annual ratings, remaining in 22nd place of 49 but
receiving a lower score than in 2025[2].
At the end of May, the EHRC released its new guidance,
effectively banning trans people from areas of public life
[3] and which the Lemkin Institute for Genocide
Prevention has condemned as 'genocidal in nature'. [4]
In healthcare, our community continues to report GPs
refusing not only bridging prescriptions, shared care with
private providers, and continuity of prescriptions from
abroad - but even prescribing hormones on instruction
from GICs [5; 6].
But nothing could have prepared us for June.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j6ed3zx5nlnatz3xbvc6mfkd/bafkreicfarthmlml3bv3yiinlnueuxqyexmyj5rumkqryopj5mqti62qem)
!["Happy" Pride
June - Pride Month - saw yet more blows to
gender affirming care access.
While nurses in Darlington celebrated a payout of
€185k for refusing to share a changing room with a
trans woman (costing Durham and Darlington NHS
Trust €600k in legal fees) [7], on the other side of
the country Sussex ICB made the decision to pull
the plug on a vital resource for trans youth and
adults in Brighton - WellBN clinic.
What follows is a list of just a few of the crises
affecting trans people this Pride Month](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j6ed3zx5nlnatz3xbvc6mfkd/bafkreig6udltsjn3hf52frg3gghlbfmwjbmm73sfnqa6fpmjxu3wna3zaq)
![WELLBN CLINIC
The WellBN GP practice in Brighton took an affirming
approach to trans healthcare, using an informed
consent model. This was a lifeline for trans kids
seeking bridging prescriptions on the NHS while
transferring from private healthcare.
After a year-long 'investigation', having 'discovered'
this 'rogue clinic' (Sussex ICB supported WellBN's
actions for years before political winds shifted) [8], the
ICB is ending prescriptions for gender-affirming care
by 31st July for all patients who started under-18. An
anonymous source has informed BASH BACK that
this includes not only trans people still under-18, but
also some who are now adults.
This contradicts previous government policy on
restr.icting healthcare for trans youth, which paused
new prescriptions but did not cancel prescriptions for
those already on puberty blockers [9] or HRT [10],
setting a dangerous precedent for state-mandated
detransition of both trans kids and adults.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j6ed3zx5nlnatz3xbvc6mfkd/bafkreibsnprxyabctiaum5is75a6smmj4boigj54qikil2iogouciieeaa)
![TRANSMASCULINE LOWER SURGERY
Adding to the shitshow, we are saddened and
angered that New Victoria Hospital will stop providing
transmasculine bottom surgeries from the end of
2026 [11].
NHSE, who were not responsible for the cancellation,
has reassured patients that a new provider will be
secured soon, which is welcome. But messing around
like this with gender-affirming care is unacceptable.
This marks yet another disruption to provision Of
masculinising bottom surgery. In 2020, the only
contract at the time was quietly not renewed. The
fallout of this lasts today, even though two new
hospitals were contracted between 2021-2023.
At that time, many patients who had already been
waiting years for surgery were delayed even further -
some patients even waiting years between stages or
for repairs - due to disruptions [12].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j6ed3zx5nlnatz3xbvc6mfkd/bafkreiaeljar6jaqflvnsyfhjlafj735yypgoyhs3wnkr6dqxmtlhearqe)
