Solidarity Weekly

Your UK trans community round-up · 25 September 2026

Welcome

Hello, friends.

This week's news is hard, and we're going to be honest about it. You'll also see people organising, turning up, and looking after each other, here and abroad. Read at your own pace. Take breaks. Check in on your friends, and let them check in on you.

🏛️ Westminster: Holding the Line Against "Section 28 2.0"

Andy Burnham became Prime Minister in July after Keir Starmer resigned. Many people hoped he would change course. So far, his government has kept the old restrictions and added new ones. Its new schools guidance has been called a modern "Section 28" by critics and civil liberties groups. Its limits on trans people's access to facilities have been described by activists as public segregation.

This matters, and you are right to be angry or worn out. But look at who has spoken up:

• Amnesty International and Liberty have both condemned the policies.
• A mass lobby outside Parliament, organised with the Trans Solidarity Alliance and What The Trans, brought people from across the community together to be seen and heard.
• More and more disillusioned voters are turning to the Green Party, which is openly backing trans equality in Parliament.

A big majority does not mean the matter is closed. Human rights groups are preparing legal challenges to the schools guidance, and we'll share updates as they come.

Worth remembering: The original Section 28 was repealed because people refused to give up. Those who fought it are part of our history, and we're continuing their work.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland: Community Spaces Standing Firm

Scotland held its parliamentary election in May, and the political climate there is still divided.

In Glasgow, a bookshop has been vandalised for the second time in a few weeks, after its windows were first attacked over disputes about gender identity. Places that stock trans books and host trans events are lifelines, and it's upsetting to see one targeted.

Here's the resilience part: the shop is still there. Independent shops and community hubs across Scotland keep making room for us despite the threats. If you're nearby, buy something, go to an event, or just send a kind message. That kind of support tells the people behind these attacks they won't win.

Also in Scotland, nurse Sandie Peggie has taken the Royal College of Nursing to an employment tribunal. She says the union failed to support her during her dispute with NHS Fife. The ruling could affect how unions across the UK handle clashes between protected beliefs and harassment claims in the NHS. We'll report the findings carefully when they arrive. If you're a trans healthcare worker who feels uneasy about this case, you're not alone. Your union rep and LGBTQ+ staff networks are good places to go for support.

🌍 Across the Atlantic: The UK as a Warning

In the United States, with Trump in his second term, Democrats are arguing about the UK. Some centrist Democrats, including Marcy Kaptur, Amy Acton and Texas state lawmaker James Talarico, are under fire for backing away from strong support for trans rights. Progressive writers, including essayists in The New Republic, keep pointing to Westminster as the reason not to.

Their point is simple: giving ground on trans rights doesn't win over social conservatives. It opens the door to further rollbacks. It's grim to be the example. But it also means our experience is changing how other people think about their own fights.

In Seattle, postdocs and research staff at the University of Washington, represented by the United Auto Workers, are holding rallies after management kept rejecting contract terms that would protect trans employees. This is what workers' solidarity looks like, and it's a good model for UK unions too.

👀 What to Watch

• Legal challenges to the schools guidance. Judicial reviews and pushback in Parliament are expected.
• Peggie v. RCN. The tribunal's preliminary findings could set a wider precedent.
• US Democratic primaries. Watch whether pressure from unions and donors changes where moderate candidates stand.

💛 Looking After Each Other

• Rest is resistance. You don't have to follow every headline.
• Find your people. Local groups, online spaces and friends who get it make a real difference.
• Allies, now's the time. Write to your MP or MSP, back trans-inclusive businesses, and speak up when trans people aren't in the room.
• Get support if you need it. Trans-led peer support groups and helplines are there for you.

We've got through hard times before, and we've done it together. We're still here, and we're not going anywhere.

With love and solidarity, The Solidarity Weekly Team 🏳️‍⚧️