As trans communities in the US and UK face a surge in anti-rights legislation, Jennifer Shields urges Aotearoa to take heed—these global trends carry urgent warnings for our future.
A lot has unfolded internationally over the past year—especially since the beginning of 2025—that directly impacts trans communities. The pace of change can be overwhelming, but staying informed is crucial. Understanding what trans people are facing overseas, particularly in the United States and the UK, gives us a clear picture of the pressures some here in Aotearoa want to replicate.
United States
Since Donald Trump’s return to office in January, the US government has unleashed a wave of executive orders directly targeting the rights of trans people. While a few of these have made headlines in Aotearoa, the full extent has flown under the radar—even for many within trans communities.
Almost immediately, reports surfaced of people experiencing issues with their passports and other ID documents. Those who had legally updated their gender markers were suddenly unsure if they’d be allowed through border control. On the day of his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order declaring sex to be binary, fixed, and determined at conception.
Over the following weeks, further orders stripped federal funding from hospitals offering or researching gender-affirming care, and from schools supporting trans students. Trans identity was labelled “incompatible” with the “honourable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle” of military service. Key moments in queer history—such as mentions of trans people on the National Park Service’s Stonewall page—were scrubbed from official records. Trans people seeking entry to the US were declared guilty of “material fraud” and permanently banned.
United Kingdom
In the UK, the Conservative government took a drastic step last year: not only banning puberty blockers for trans youth, but criminalising their use entirely. While this move attracted attention, the broader context often gets missed. The ban followed the Cass Review into England’s trans healthcare system—one already plagued by massive delays. However, the Review didn’t recommend banning puberty blockers. That choice came from the government—and was upheld by the incoming Labour administration.
Now, doctors and pharmacists prescribing puberty blockers to trans young people risk criminal charges. Parents of trans kids who have GnRH antagonists (used not only for gender-affirming care but also for treating conditions like cancer) in their homes face similar legal threats. Families worry about being reported to Child Protective Services or even facing arrest for supporting their children. Many are forced to travel long distances just to find a GP who will treat their child—then face scrutiny over why they’ve gone so far.
Alarmingly, new developments in the UK suggest similar restrictions are on the horizon for adult trans healthcare as well.
Aotearoa
So why does this matter here in Aotearoa? Cabinet is preparing to decide on trans young people’s access to healthcare. At the same time, professional medical bodies are raising concerns about political interference in what should be clinical decisions. We’re not immune to global trends—and we’re already seeing the fallout of a culture war that’s being imported. Pride events are under fire. Community leaders are being targeted. And trans health—especially youth access to care—is being used as a wedge issue to roll back wider human rights.
If we don’t speak out for our rangatahi now, we risk having to fight for the basic right of the rainbow community to exist in the near future.
