I won’t pretend 2025 was easy. For the transgender community and those who support them, it was a year of relentless challenges. The UK Supreme Court ruling in April, the permanent ban on puberty blockers, hostile media coverage, institutional barriers - the list goes on.
But as we step into 2026, I want to start by talking about hope. Not naive optimism that ignores reality, but the kind of hope that comes from evidence, resilience, and the knowledge that even in the darkest times, progress happens.
Here are five reasons I’m hopeful for the year ahead.
1. The Evidence Keeps Coming Back on Our Side
In May 2025, Utah released the results of a state-commissioned systematic review of gender-affirming care for young people. This wasn’t research conducted by advocates. It was ordered by the very politicians who had banned care, expecting it would justify their position.
It didn’t.
The 1,000-page report, produced by the University of Utah’s College of Pharmacy, reviewed 277 studies involving over 28,000 young people. Its conclusions were unambiguous: gender-affirming care is safe and effective. Mental health outcomes improve. Regret is rare.
The authors stated: “The consensus of the evidence supports that the treatments are effective... Policies to prevent access cannot be justified based on the quantity or quality of medical science findings.”
Meanwhile, the British Medical Association is conducting its own independent evaluation of the Cass Review, prioritising the voices of patients and clinicians with lived experience. Politicians can ignore science. But they cannot make the evidence disappear.
2. Courts Around the World are Affirming Trans Rights
While the UK Supreme Court ruling in April was devastating, courts elsewhere are moving in the opposite direction.
In June 2025, the Andhra Pradesh High Court in India ruled that trans women are legally women. Justice Venkata Jyothirmai Pratapa declared that tying the definition of womanhood to reproductive capacity was “legally unsustainable” and contrary to the Indian constitution’s guarantees of dignity, equality, and identity.
“A trans woman, born male and later transitioning to female, is legally entitled to recognition as a woman. Denying such protection by questioning their womanhood amounts to discrimination.”
Then in October 2025, the Indian Supreme Court went further in Jane Kaushik v. Union of India, issuing binding directions for workplace equality for transgender people across all establishments, public and private. The court described it as moving from “recognition to rights” - from symbolic acknowledgment to enforceable protections.
And politically, Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender woman elected to the US Congress in 2024, joining other trans politicians winning elections across the States. Representation at the table where decisions are made is growing.
3. Community Solidarity is Stronger Than Ever
On 26th July 2025, over 100,000 people marched through central London for Trans+ Pride - the largest trans pride event in world history.
Read that again. One hundred thousand people. In London. For trans rights.
The theme was “Existence and Resistance”. It came just months after the Supreme Court ruling, and the turnout shattered the previous year’s record of 60,000. Speakers including Yasmin Finney and Caroline Litman addressed a crowd that filled the route from Langham Place to Parliament Square.
This wasn’t just celebration. It was a statement. Trans people and their allies are not going away. As organiser Lewis G. Burton said: “You can try to strip us of our rights, but you can never remove us from society.”
4. The Opposition is Failing More Than Succeeding
Here’s a statistic that rarely makes headlines: 91% of anti-trans bills introduced in US states in 2025 failed to pass.
Yes, some harmful legislation got through. Every one of those laws causes real damage to real people. But the organised resistance is working. Community members showing up to testify. Parents speaking out for their children. Allies refusing to be silent.
California banned the forced outing of transgender students. Minnesota banned the gay and trans panic defence. Florida and Georgia defeated almost all their anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. 37 pro-LGBTQ+ bills passed across the US.
And globally, while the UK has regressed, Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage. Over 100,000 marched at Budapest Pride in open defiance of Hungary’s government. Progress is uneven, but it’s real.
5. More Voices are Challenging the Misinformation
For too long, the public conversation about gender diversity has been dominated by those spreading fear and misinformation. But that’s changing.
More doctors are speaking up. The BMA’s resident doctors voted to condemn the Supreme Court ruling as “scientifically illiterate”. More researchers are publishing rigorous critiques of flawed methodology. More parents are sharing their families’ stories. More allies are refusing to let distortions go unchallenged.
This is why I started Dr Webberley Responds. Because accurate information matters. Because challenging misinformation matters. Because the voices of those with lived experience and genuine expertise deserve to be heard.
We may not control the headlines. But we can build spaces where truth has room to breathe.
Looking Ahead
I’m not naive about the challenges ahead. 2026 will bring its own battles. The European Court of Human Rights challenge to the UK ruling. The ongoing fight for healthcare access. The daily reality of discrimination and hostility.
But I’ve seen too much courage to lose hope. Too much determination. Too much love. I’ve seen 100,000 people on the streets of London. I’ve seen courts in India affirm what we know to be true. I’ve seen communities build their own systems when institutions fail them.
What gives YOU hope for 2026? I’d love to hear from you. Drop a comment below or send me a message. Let’s start this year by sharing what keeps us going.
With hope and determination,
Dr Helen Webberley
Sources and Further Reading:
Utah Systematic Review: le.utah.gov/AgencyRP/reportingDetail.jsp
India High Court Ruling: Washington Blade coverage
London Trans+ Pride 2025: londontranspride.org
HRC State Equality Index 2024: reports.hrc.org/2024-state-equality-index
Over to You
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please subscribe to share them in the comments below.
This is part of a series examining cases, commentary and hearings concerning gender identity. If you have a case or article you’d like me to review, get in touch.
