UK named one of world’s least friendly countries for trans people

The British are among the least supportive of trans people, a new survey of 30 countries has revealed. 

The Ipsos LGBT+ Pride 2023 survey, which asked questions of more than 22,000 adults, found that, while a majority of Britons agree that trans people face discrimination, they are more mixed in their support for gender-affirming care. 

The survey was conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform in February and March and surveyed 22,514 adults under the age of 75, including 1,000 Brits.

Support for gender-affirming care in UK was near the bottom of the list, with less than half (47 per cent) of the population who were surveyed believing teens should have access to care such as hormone replacement treatment. 

Just two countries were lower, the United States (45 per cent) and Hungary (36 per cent). 

When asked about if insurance companies should cover the cost of transitioning, just 36 per cent of Britons agreed, putting them fourth from bottom in terms of support. 

Only Romania (33 per cent), South Korea (28 per cent) and Hungary (25 per cent) were lower on this topic.

Great Britain is amongst the least supportive countries for trans rights. (Pexels)

Those surveyed were also asked if they agreed or disagreed with governments adding an additional marker to official documents outside the male/female binary. 

Again, just 47 per cent of British people agreed with the suggestion. 

In terms of trans people being able to use single-sex spaces that align with their gender, such as public toilets, Great Britain was once again near the bottom of the pile.  Only 40 per cent of those surveyed agreed, with 40 per cent disagreeing and the remainder unsure. 

The only country to score lower was the United States, with 40 per cent of Americans in favour but 45 per cent disagreeing. 

However, people in the UK were more likely to acknowledge that the trans community faces discrimination in society and want protections for them.  

Sixty-four per cent said they felt trans people face at least a fair amount of discrimination, compared with 19 per cent who believe they experience little or none. 

Just over three quarters (77 per cent) agreed that trans people should be protected from discrimination in a number of areas, including employment, housing and access to businesses. 

Brits are highly supportive of same-sex adoption (Pexels)

Elsewhere in the study, Ipsos found 64 per cent of Britons believe same-sex couples should have the same right to marry the same as heterosexual couples, with just 13 per cent being opposed to any form of union. 

There was good news when it comes to adoption, with 72 per cent of Brits agreeing that same-sex couples should have the same rights as their straight peers. Similarly, 74 per cent agreed with the statement “same-sex couples are just as likely as other parents to successfully raise children”, with 18 per cent disagreeing.

The research comes after ILGA-Europe revealed the UK had once again dropped down the rankings in its annual Rainbow Map.

The Rainbow Map and Index has ranked all 49 European nations on their “legal and policy situation” with regards to LGBTQ+ rights since 2009. The UK used to consistenly hold first position but in recent years has plummeted down the rankings, to 17th in this year.

ILGA-Europe blamed the fall on the  “serious damage” of anti-trans rhetoric for the drop, pointing to “hostile reporting” by mainstream newspapers, trans sports bans, former prime minister Boris Johnson excluding trans people from the promised outlawing of so-called conversion therapy, and the anti-trans group, LGB Alliance, achieving charity status.