Trans+ History Week 2026 helping to 'change the narrative'

It has been a pivotal, difficult, and for many, confusing year for many in the community, but Trans+ History Week 2026 is officially underway, offering us all the chance to reflect on past struggles and celebrate the achievements of Trans+ communities across the UK.

The week has been going since 2024, with this year's mission about reclaiming our shared past.

It was deliberately chosen for this time of year, as it also incoporates Trans+ History Day, which is marked on 6th May.

On that day in 1933, there was a Nazi raid on the world's first ever trans clinic, called the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft - or the Institute of Sexology - in Berlin.

The foundation was researching sexuality and gender, and also advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.

In addition, this year, from 30th April to 10th May, a new space in London called Reflections is open, bringing together words, water and sound to honour the histories and futures of Trans+ people.

"We need to see a great narrative shift"

Marty Davis is the founder of Trans+ History Week and Trans+ History Day, and has been talking with Hits Radio Pride - explaining how it's all about helping to 'change the narrative'.

Marty said: "It's really important for right now.

"Trans+ people do not usually see ourselves reflected in the media in positive ways, and we know that harms our mental health, and can lead to rollbacks on our rights, which we have been seeing both at home and around the world.

"We do need to see a great narrative shift.

"Trans people aren't just a trend, and we shouldn't just be seen as this new phenomenon which brings our existence into debate.

"Storytelling and our history are a great way to do it - storytelling is a key survival tool, and so I think that it's really important that we look to hour history for that common story, that shows us we have always been here.

"The way I think about this now, is that trans people's history has been denied to all of us - and the common story that we're being told right now across society simply isn't true.

"Trans+ History Week has always been about telling that story, on our own terms, with our own voices.

"This year, we've been able to run a joint talent mentoring scheme with QueerAF once again, investing in 21 trans creatives, and get really geeky about history, with people from all around the world.

"There are so many examples how we show up in our common history, and we are great contributors to all walks of our lives."

For 2026, the national awareness campaign called 'Reflections' has been launched, calling on us to visit the wisdom of our ancestors.

Marty added: "I'm really excited to be running a national campaign for a third year.

"We've used water as a metaphor to show small actions and stories from trans history can create ripples of change."

"It's been a real year of anxiety"

But for the trans - and wider LGBT+ - community, things seem a little different this year, as we've marked a year since the Supreme Court ruling on gender - something Marty has described as both 'devastating' and 'confusing' for those who identify as Trans+.

Marty said: "The Supreme Court ruling was something was devastating and confusing for the Trans+ community.

"I've even experienced that myself, as it's been a real year of anxiety, and still we wait for the EHRC to produce guidance that we need.

"I think it's important to think about this in relation to our history - there have never been statutory restrictions for Trans+ people in UK law for the use of toilets, so what's being proposed is unprecedented, which is really frightening.

"I really hope this doesn't happen when the dust has finally settled, but it would mark a new era of exclusion.

"But I think as well, we need to look back at moments in our history where we have secured rights, and how as a community we managed to do so.

"And so the most important thing about Trans+ history is about recognising that we have always been here, and I think that helps us to see a future.

"A group of people who can't see a past can't look at a future for themselves, and that's hugely damaging."

Read more: Supreme Court gender ruling: one year on

"It makes us realise we're fighting against the same challenges that we were back then"

Daryn Carter MBE, Director of Bristol Pride, told us why awareness weeks like this are so important.

He said: "What it does is gives us a chance to reflect on where we've come, both as a community, and as a society.

"It also lets us look back on the past - we often look back and think, 'what were our challenges and fights back in the 1970s and 1980s, and what has changed now?'

"So, it's an opportunity to reflect on good progress that has been made, but it also makes us realise that we're fighting against the same challenges that we were back then.

"Awareness weeks are a great chance to look now at what more we can do, and showcase that we've been around forever.

"The LGBTQ+ community is not a new thing, so it's important that we highlight that."

The Trevor Project - a leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ young people - has been emphasising the significance of Trans+ History Week.

On Instagram, they said: "History is power. That’s why it gets erased. This Trans+ History Week, we’re here to remind you that trans+ folks are not 'new'. Trans+ lives have always been interwoven with the fabric of our world."

"For centuries, trans and gender-diverse people have existed across cultures. They’ve built lives that felt true and carved out spaces in a world that has often tried to define them out of existence."

"When trans+ folks are told that we don’t have a past, it becomes easier to argue why we shouldn’t have a future. That’s what we’re seeing right now. From attacks on transgender health care to bans in schools and sports, the same false narrative is being used again: that trans+ folks are a 'new issue' instead of a longstanding part of human history."

"History loudly says otherwise. For trans and nonbinary young people today, that truth matters. Knowing that people like you have always existed can be protective. It can be life-saving."

"We don’t need trans+ folks to prove they’ve always been here. We need a world that stops trying to erase us. Trans+ history didn’t start now and it doesn’t end here."

“If you’re a trans+ young person who needs support, The Trevor Project is here for you 24/7/365. You deserve to be safe and supported exactly as you are.”

This week offers diverse events for learning and connection, reinforcing the importance of recognizing trans history amid current challenges.

You can find out plenty more on the Trans+ History Week website.

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