New TGEU Report Warns: Trans Rights in Europe Under Historic Attack
From London to Tbilisi, the year 2025 marks a dramatic decline in human rights for trans people across Europe and Central Asia, according to a new report by TGEU (Transgender Europe).
In its annual Trans Rights Index, TGEU warns that fundamental freedoms and legal protections are being rolled back at an alarming rate—especially for trans people who also face marginalization based on race, class, disability, migration status, or HIV status. For the first time in the index’s 13-year history, more rights have been taken away than gained.
Repression and Regression
In Georgia, legal gender recognition has been completely banned, and trans healthcare has been criminalized. At the same time, terms such as “gender,” “gender identity,” and “gender expression” have been removed from anti-discrimination laws, leaving trans people unprotected from discrimination and violence. In Hungary, new constitutional amendments explicitly exclude non-binary people, declaring that individuals can only be male or female.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically in Republika Srpska, protections against hate speech and hate crimes have been abolished. The United Kingdom, once a leader in equality, now—according to TGEU—has a Supreme Court, Prime Minister, and Equality Body aligned with anti-trans rhetoric. The recent court decision defining “woman” within the context of anti-discrimination law has seriously undermined legal certainty for trans people, increasing their exclusion from hospitals, public restrooms, and shelters.
Faint Sparks of Progress
Although rare, there have been some positive developments. Germany adopted a Self-Determination Act last year, although the new conservative government has announced plans to review it with potential restrictions. At the European level, the EU Court of Justice issued three landmark rulings:
- Legal gender recognition must be accessible without humiliating requirements (Deldits case, Hungary);
- EU Member States must mutually recognize each other’s decisions on legal gender change (Mirin case, Romania);
- Honorific titles such as “Mr.” and “Ms.” may only be used when strictly necessary, a significant protection for non-binary people (Mousse case, France).
However, even the European Court itself is under attack from right-wing and illiberal forces seeking to dismantle civil society and legal protections.
Europe at a Crossroads
According to TGEU researcher Freya Watkins, the data confirms that 2025 is “a year of historically low progress and historically high stagnation,” with twice as much regression as advancement. She adds that these are not just statistics—they are decisions with real consequences for people’s safety and lives.
TGEU warns that this political backlash is not only a trans rights issue, but also one of European identity and sovereignty. The instrumentalization of trans bodies as political tools undermines the very foundations of the EU—human rights, dignity, and solidarity.
TGEU calls for the urgent renewal and strengthening of the EU LGBTIQ+ Strategy, with explicit inclusion of gender identity and gender expression, particularly for marginalized groups—trans people, refugees, and people with disabilities.
Calls to Action
Richard Keller, TGEU Policy Advisor, states:
“Ten years after the so-called ‘trans turning point,’ Europe stands at a very dark crossroads. This is a test not only for trans people but for democracy itself.”
TGEU Executive Director Imania Brown adds:
“You cannot stop an attack on rights through silence or retreat. Only moving forward can defend equality. Dignity is not optional. Equality is not negotiable. And freedom—it’s not a privilege reserved for some.”