Disability and Trans Intersectionality – How do the rights of others affect me?

Overlaying a very pale pink background, the words, ‘Disability and trans intersectionality – how do the rights of others affect me?’ are in bold, black text. Underneath the text are two circles overlapping: a Venn diagram. The circle on the left is baby blue and contains the word, ‘Disabled’, and the right circle is baby pink and contains the word, ‘Trans’. Where the circles overlap is white. Top left is Equal Lives’ logo.

This is the second post in the series on disability and LGBTQIA+ intersectionality. This time I explore the intersectional experiences of disabled trans people, and will show the troubling ways in which their identities are being undermined by outdated attitudes to disability and queerness, and the impact this misinformation is having on their lives. This is important as a point of intersection because many disabled people who do not identify as trans will recognise the same disregard for their right to autonomy and respect. 

What does 'trans' mean? 

I included links to information about the different terms in the acronym LGBTQIA+ in my first post on intersectionality in September 2025. There is, however, a great deal of inflammatory and misleading content online and in the media about trans people at the moment and thus, it is worth clarifying. An American trans support service called Advocates for Trans People has a very good guide to the difference between sex and gender, what being transgender means, and how to show support and respect to trans people¹. There is also a thorough easy read guide on the same topics, which includes a lot of useful resources and recommendations of further reading, produced in the UK by Choice Support².

Harassing, discriminating against or otherwise mistreating trans people is called transphobia. Transactual has an extensive article explaining all the forms transphobia can take, and how it can hurt trans people³.

I included some statistics about the negative experiences of trans people at work, and the impact that marginalisation has on their physical and mental health, in my first post. But as the Transactual article shows, transphobia does not just affect trans people. It has a much broader negative impact on people because of their age, gender presentation, ethnicity, disability and body shape. 

Disability as an axis of Queer oppression 

Since the nineteenth century, disability has been used by some as a way to repress or dismiss queer identities. Homosexuality was categorised as a mental health condition by the World Health Organisation until 1990; and gender incongruence was only declassified as a mental health condition in 2018⁴.The Government recently restructured gender support services for young people in the wake of a controversial and widely-condemned review⁵. One of the most troubling outcomes of this review was that puberty blocking medication was banned in the treatment of trans young people, even though it is widely recognised as a perfectly safe and valid treatment for conditions experienced by cis youth⁶. A restructure of NHS services for trans young people capitalised on the incidence of gender incongruence among neuro-diverse people to propose compulsory screening for Autistic Spectrum Disorder as part of the psychological assessments required to access gender affirming care⁷. As the linked source points out, the guidance encourages health professionals to explain away gender incongruence as a symptom of Autism in many cases. 

Why does this matter to me? 

I have already shown how harmful it can be to misrepresent the intersectional experiences of disabled trans people. I have also highlighted the way in which transphobia is harmful to everyone, not just its intended victims. Further to this, we should think about the prevailing political climate at the moment, and how we feel as disabled people when we are unreasonably portrayed in the media as work-shy burdens on the state. The proposed benefits cuts, which we covered on the blog earlier this year, created a real climate of fear for disabled people. This should be enough for us to empathise with the ongoing erosion of the rights and safety of the trans community. 

Conclusion

Trans and disabled people have had to contend with the same history of prejudice and misunderstanding. Misinformation and marginalisation of the trans community is rife, and this prejudice has far wider implications for people with intersecting characteristics and identities. By halting the spread of this misinformation, we are also challenging fake news about us. By showing solidarity and support for the trans community, we are bolstering our own rights to fair representation in politics and the media. 

Written by Natalie, an Equal Lives staff member

Sources:

1. Advocates for Trans Equality, Understanding Transgender People – The Basics, [https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-transgender-people-the-basics], last accessed 04/12/2025.

2. Choice Support, Transgender – An Easy Read Guide, undated [https://www.choicesupport.org.uk/uploads/documents/Transgender-easy-read-guide-For-Web.pdf], last accessed 04/12/2025.

3. https://transactual.org.uk/transphobia/

4. The King’s Fund, What can be Learned from the Last 75 Years of LGBTQ+ Health Care?, 23/05/2024 [https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/what-can-be-learnt-75-years-lgbtq-health-care], last accessed 04/12/2025.

5. Critiques of the Casse Review, TransActual, 23/06/2025 [https://transactual.org.uk/advocacy/critiques-of-the-cass-review/]

6. ILGA Europe, Joint Statement on the Decision to Ban Puberty Blockers for Trans Youth in the UK, [https://www.ilga-europe.org/news/joint-statement-on-the-decision-to-ban-puberty-blockers-for-trans-youth-in-the-uk/], 18/12/2024, last accessed 09/12/2025.

7. Erin in the Morning, Why the UK’s Autism Tests for Trans Youth Should Raise Alarms, [https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/why-the-uks-autism-tests-for-trans], 30/04/2025, last accessed 09/12/2025.