'Seven years into my transition I still get scared when I go into the bathroom'

A year on from the Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of sex under the Equality Act, trans people say their every day lives have been left in a constant state of of confusion, fear and growing isolation.Tate Smith, a 27-year-old trans man from London, spoke to the Mirror about his experiences navigating public life following the ruling. The atmosphere has created constant anxiety for the trans community.Fear has become a daily reality rather than an exception. Since the Supreme Court ruling, Tate has felt more scrutinised in public spaces. He explains that as someone who passes as male, the anxiety has not gone away. “Even seven years into my transition I still get scared when I go into the bathroom,” he says, describing how he avoids eye contact and remains constantly on edge.The intensity of that feeling has amplified. “What this ruling has done is exacerbate that feeling of dysphoria… and has meant that I’m on even more high alert.” But for Tate, the anxiety is not only about personal safety. It is also about how trans men are being discussed in wider public debate.‌View 2 ImagesTate Smith has felt more scrutinised in public spaces following the UK Supreme Court rulingREAD MORE: Trans Day of Visibility matters more than ever for the community this yearREAD MORE: Transgender girls told they must leave Girlguiding by SeptemberIn April 2025, the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the terms "sex," "man," and "woman" in the Equality Act 2010 refer strictly to biological sex assigned at birth, meaning a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) does not change a person's sex for the purposes of that Act.Subsequently, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued interim guidance clarifying that service providers can now legally restrict single-sex spaces (such as wards, changing rooms, and refuges) based on biological sex rather than legal gender, provided the exclusion is a proportionate way to ensure privacy, dign...