Politicians and the media have recently taken to speaking about trans kids; how to “protect” children who think they are trans.

The problem with such conversations is that the voices of transgender children and teenagers are ignored. Their existence is erased and even denied. Too often, transgender minors are discriminated against in the name of their own “protection.” And only a few have the resources or opportunities to speak up.

But not in the UK. 

Despite Britain’s reputation for exporting transphobic ideas around the globe — fueled in part by a vocal trans-exclusionary radical feminist movement, most visibly represented by J.K. Rowling) — the country has one of the most prominent youth-led initiatives there, Trans Kids Deserve Better.

The Washington Blade spoke with their representative, Ashes, to learn more about them, and maybe even learn something from them. After all, the fight for trans rights is global for Trans Kids Deserve Better.

BLADE: Tell us a little bit about the group history.

“Trans Kids Deserve Better (TKDB) was founded in June 2024 by two trans kids after they were driven to action by what they read in the news,” said Ashes, referring to the situation when the British National Health Service started to deny hormone therapy for transgender minors, and conservative transphobic voices became much more prominent in the media. “Our first action was a banner drop on NHS England, which then turned into a four-day occupation as more and more people joined in. What started as a small action group between friends attracted many other trans kids, and eventually, TKDB became a full-scale action network made up of dozens of children throughout the country.”

BLADE: What, in the group’s opinion, is the main problem trans minors face today in the UK?

ASHES: The biggest problems trans kids face in the UK stem from how we are constantly ignored and scapegoated in both politics and everyday life. For example, our British Health Secretary Wes Streeting ignored trans children for whom puberty blockers were life-saving medical care, and instead just banned the usage of puberty blockers for trans kids. Far too often, people pretend we don’t exist. Or they will use trans people — especially in politics — as a means of deflection. Or we are painted as a threat. Both lead to alienation, which creates spaces where trans people can be mocked, harassed, ostracised, not taken seriously, and denied their universal rights. We see this happening everywhere, from school spaces to the government. It is terrifying being villainized and ignored by the very people who are supposed to keep you safe, and it fosters an environment that can be incredibly dangerous to the physical and mental health of trans kids.

BLADE: Tell us a little bit about your most important protests and campaigns. Are they connected? What do you do to reach your goals?

ASHES: Well, most of our actions are separate from each other, but we do also have some continuous campaigns. For example, our campaign Kids Are Dying, Wes (KADW) has been ongoing for over a year and aims to draw attention to and call out Health Secretary Wes Streeting for his role in the puberty blocker ban. We were placing paper coffins outside Wes Streeting’s office to represent the deaths of the trans children caused by his actions. We ended this daily protest just recently, after a full year of no comment from Wes — although he can’t fully pretend we don’t exist, because he blocked our page and KADW on social media. But there’s still more to come from KADW! We are also always coming up with new action ideas.

BLADE: Why do you think it is important for LGBTQ adults to listen to trans kids?

ASHES: Because even LGBT+ adults, who have their own experiences and contribute a lot to activism, will not have the experience of being a trans kid in this exact day and age. Because we’re teens, trans, and have first-hand experience, we have a unique perspective on modern-day education, healthcare, politics, and social media, especially when those topics concern us. When advocating for trans kids, it’s important to include actual kids in these conversations; nobody knows better what trans children need than those trans children themselves.

BLADE: And what about the international meaning of social movements such as Trans Kids Deserve Better? Why can such European campaigns be important for Americans?

ASHES: Recently, Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party [a far-right political party that has gained more and more influence in the UK] and a blatant transphobe, has said he wants to “Make Britain Great Again,” naming Donald Trump as one of the inspirations for his politics. This is a key example of how British and American politics especially are very interlinked — and so are the rights of minorities across these countries and beyond. Because while wanting rights for trans people and other minorities should not be deemed political, it is. Transphobic rulings passed in one country can inspire the leader of another country to do something similar. Prominent figures in Britain, especially local trans-exclusionary radical feminists, are influential throughout the world — particularly J.K. Rowling, who actively uses her money to campaign against trans rights. But more positively, thanks to social media and the news, trans activism can inspire people from completely different countries to come up with their own actions, or even just give them hope and encourage them to get through the day. We are all fighting the same fight.