The Council of Europe Commissioner For Human Rights ‘is concerned about the current climate for trans people’ in the UK.
During his visit to the UK, Commissioner, Michael O’Flaherty (he/him), addressed the country’s human rights issues. Issues included management of irregular migration, restrictions on the right to protest, legacy of the troubles in Northern Ireland and trans rights.
Trans people face marginalisation
O’Flaherty said he believes trans people ‘face acute marginalisation across all areas of life’. He wants to ensure that ‘their inclusion and dignity are upheld’ and ‘deplores’ discussion around excluding them from much of society.
Jolyon Maugham KC (he/him) of the Good Law Project describes the Commissioner’s comments as ‘a serious bollocking for Labour’s TERF-Island.’
Author and human rights campaigner Philippa East (she/her) expressed her relief.
‘I was so grateful and relieved to see the statement from the Commissioner on Human Rights of the Council of Europe, raising concern about the state of trans rights in the UK. The comissioner’s statement echoes the alarm and condemnation already expressed by a number of other international human rights organistions in the wake of the Supreme Court Ruling, including the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, 18 UN Independent Human Rights Experts and ILGA-Europe.’
Red flag alert for the UK
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Pevention has issued the UK with a red flag alert on Anti-Trans and Intersex Rights in the UK. The Institute ‘condemn recent judicial and governmental developments in the United Kingdom, which attempt to harm transgender and intersex people in the UK by stripping them of privacy and segregating them as ‘others.’ ‘
Meanwhile the UK has plummeted to 22nd place in ILGA Europe Rainbow Map. The Map ranks European countries on how well they accommodate the rights and needs of their LGBTQIA +citizens. Back in 2015 the UK was placed number 1 and has been falling steadily down the table year on year.
Most alarming of all is they scored a horrendous 6.57% on Legal Gender Recognition. This places them behind countries like Ukraine and Turkey.
Philippa says:
“As a trans ally and member of women’s network ‘Not in Our Name’ (NION), it’s reassuring to know that those outside of the UK are seeing clearly the serious and targeted rollback of trans rights unfolding in our country. At the same time, I am deeply disappointed and frustrated with the complete lack of acknowledgement from our Government, whose only answer to date has been to reference (in correspondence) their ‘network of over 280 diplomatic missions around the world’. This suggests either a complete blindness to the potential human rights violations unfolding at home, or worse, a deliberate refusal to take any action to prevent them.
Our Government needs to wake up to how completely misled and misguided they have become on the issue of trans rights, and stop relying on organisations such as the EHRC and Sex Matters to lead them anywhere but into utter shame on the international stage.”
What a way to miss the point!
Philippa wrote a letter to the UK Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson to raise the concerns. She describes the Minister’s response as ‘what a way to miss the point!’ The following is the Minister’s response to Philippa:
“The ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map provides an annual relative ranking of all European countries on LGBT Rights. At our peak in 2015, the UK was ranked 1st place. In 2025, the UK is ranked 22nd with an overall rating of 46%. We understand that this year’s ranking proves the UK has much to do to reinforce our position as a global leader, and we intend to place the UK as a global leader for Human Rights once again. The UK is proud to defend the human rights of LGBT+ people around the world. Our network of over 280 diplomatic missions works – often discreetly – to tackle discrimination and end the violence and persecution that persists today. Our £40 million global LGBT+ rights programme is helping improve political, social and economic empowerment by addressing outdated discriminatory laws, promoting protective legislation, enabling local civil society organisations, and supporting the most vulnerable LGBT+ people in conflict and crisis.”
Philippa has written a new open letter to the Minister For Women and Equalities. The letter calls on Bridget Phillipson to not ‘approve any EHRC Code unless and until the concerns raised by these multiple international human rights bodies have been fully addressed and resolved’
The full letter is available here for all to read and sign.
The deadline for signing the letter is 9.00pm on Tuesday the 22nd of July 2025.
