"What is currently going on in the UK is unprecedented" says Emilia Beckers. She lives in London and will soon be confronted by the consequences of the UK Supreme Court’s recent ruling, which defines a woman based on their biological sex.
Flemish trans woman in London: “I want to live my life without having to wonder if someone wants to bash my head in”
Colin Clapson
Published:
Emilia Beckers is 54 and has lived in London since 2015. She has been transitioning since 2020 and is going through the process largely in England. As such, she is a front row witness to how opposition to transgender rights in Britain is growing. ‘What is currently going on in this country is unprecedented,’ she says in response to the supreme court ruling.
Emilia is outraged, but not surprised by the ruling. "It was on the cards. For instance, the court refused to allow a trans person to testify. So we could not defend our civil rights. Nor could we rely on the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission). This independent body should have stood up for us, but did the opposite. Not surprising when you know that figures like Auka Reindorf are at the top of this organisation. She works closely with advocacy groups like Sex Matters, LGB Alliance and Women's Rights Network, which pretty much constantly challenge our rights."
These are organisations that can also count on considerable right-wing financial support, both from US conservatives and public figures like author J.K. Rowling - who has donated £70,000 (€81,000) to For Women Scotland. Add to this a highly polarised media landscape in the UK - ‘I can't open a newspaper without reading a negative article about trans people’, disinformation on social media and neither Conservative nor Labour politicians willing to burn their fingers on this issue and you understand: it is not easy to go through life as a trans woman in Britain today. ‘I don't wish it on my worst enemy,’ Emilia sighs.
Constantly on the alert
As a result Emilia regularly has to visit her psychologist. "I am also constantly on my guard. When I go out, I never use the toilet. It is not worth the risk of bumping into the wrong people and ending up on the front page of a newspaper a day later. Even on public transport, I keep an eye on who is looking at me. Occasionally I am addressed as “sir”, but I ignore it. Twice somebody told me off, just like that."
Her job opportunities have decreased noticeably since her transition. "Before, I was regularly invited for an interview. Later, if I mentioned that I was a trans woman, I didn't even get an answer." Emilia hopes to sell her flat soon and move back to Belgium. ‘I want to live closer to my family once again, but I also want to live my life without having to wonder if someone wants to bash my head in.’