Yesterday, May 12, an important panel discussion hosted by The Rainbow Project, Northern Ireland’s largest LGBTQ+ charity, brought trans, non-binary and intersex people directly into Stormont, the site of Northern Ireland’s main government buildings in the heart of Belfast, to speak about how the recent legal and political developments are impacting their lives.

Titled ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’, the event aimed to centre lived experience in conversations too often dominated by those outside the community. The panel comes in response to the recent UK Supreme Court ruling on the definition of ‘woman’ in the Equality Act 2010, a decision that has sparked legal uncertainty, public confusion, and a surge in demand for support services across Northern Ireland.

The Rainbow Project took to Instagram to reflect on the event, writing: “We caused a bit of a stir in the Assembly yesterday!”

They went on to say, “We are clear: trans people, like everyone else, deserve access to our political institutions – our democracy depends on it. All communities deserve respect within our institutions, and deserve politicians who will defend their right to access those spaces.”

They went on to explain, “We utterly reject disingenuous blanket accusations that spaces are suddenly made unsafe because they are being accessed by trans people.We will continue to give platform to trans voices, bring LGBTQIA+ communities to decision-makers, and take the fight for equality wherever we need to to be heard and to make change.”

“Trans, non-binary and intersex people are so often spoken about, but rarely listened to,” said Alexa Moore, Policy Campaigns and Communications Manager at The Rainbow Project. “This event is a chance to change that — not to debate rights, but to uplift seldom heard voices with an emphasis on the humanity of this community and their desire to live with basic dignity and respect.”

Moore added, “If decisions are going to be made about trans, non-binary and intersex people then their voices must not only be in the room but be listened to and taken seriously. This is an opportunity for our political representatives and civil society to hear from the community directly — and to stand on the right side of history.”

The event included a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Belfast Trans Resource Centre, Trans Pride Northern Ireland, Mermaids NI and the Transgender Equality Network Ireland.

Panellist Christopher McIlwaine, Community Development Officer at Mermaids Northern Ireland, said, “In the current climate, it is vital that spaces exist where the perspectives and voices of trans people, particularly trans children and their families, can be heard with compassion and empathy. Too often, decisions are made about us without us, and the views of trans children and their families are neither sought nor listened to. It’s time for that to change, and I believe this event is an important step in making that change in Northern Ireland.”

This discussion comes on the heels of recent rollbacks on rights both locally and nationally, including the ban on puberty blockers and the UK Supreme Court’s judgement on the definition of ‘sex’ within the Equality Act.

While any potential impacts of this judgement for Northern Ireland remain unclear, it has created significant distress for many trans people, seeing a rise in hostile rhetoric and abuse being directed towards their communities.