The NHS released new guidance last week for its treatment of trans patients in hospitals. This guidance officially dictates that, whenever possible, all hospital accommodations “should be provided on the basis of ‘biological sex’.” This update follows the 2025 UK Supreme Court case, For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, which officially ruled that sex and gender in UK law always refers to a person’s assigned sex at birth.
The guidance mainly focuses on sleeping and bathroom accommodations, saying “Women should not have to share sleeping accommodation with men. Men should not have to share sleeping accommodation with women.” An identical provision follows for bathrooms. Trans men in particular stand to be impacted by this guidance as, per the supreme court ruling, trans men are not allowed in men’s spaces, but may also not be allowed in women’s spaces either based on their “masculine appearance.”
Throughout the document, in spite of the impacts these changes stand to have for trans patients, the NHS repeatedly reaffirms its goal of providing “privacy, dignity and safety” for all.
A series of fraudulent texts went out last week to Texas voters, appearing to be from the Transgender Education Network of Texas. The texts offer basic guidance on school bathrooms, gender-affirming care, and responding to state legislation. These texts were sent, according to posts on social media, mainly to “self-identified Republicans and their friends.” As a result, there has been significant backlash against the organization, with “an onslaught of hate and threats.”
TENT denied having sent the messages and, as reported in the Texas Tribune, has issued a cease and desist to the messaging companies over their client apparently impersonating the organization. The texts started arriving less than a week before voting was to begin for Texas’ midterms, leading some to speculate that the texts may be intentionally inflammatory in a race where transgender issues have already been central.
In the cease and desist, TENT also speculates that the texts may be a way to “manufacture a pretext for legal action” against the organization. Indeed, on Tuesday, Texas Representative Jeff Leach sent a letter to the Texas AG’s office calling for an investigation into the organization, alleging that the advocacy group was “circumventing and violating” Texas’ Senate Bill 12, which banned LGBTQ+ clubs from schools and disallowed teachers from referring to a student by their preferred gender.
Democrats continue to be more trusted with their handling of transgender issues than Republicans. Even after the right has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on ads attacking Democrats’ alleged support for trans people, a recent poll, shared on Bluesky by Gillian Branstetter of the ACLU, has shown that 38% of people trust the Democrats more, versus just 29% trusting Republicans.
This poll is consistent with polls from previous election years, with one poll from 2024 also indicating significantly more trust for the Democratic Party’s handling of transgender issues. In that poll, Republicans were also trusted by just 29% of Americans. Notably in that poll, Democrats commanded 52% of people’s trust versus just 38% now. It is unclear whether waning support for trans people on the part of some Democratic leaders may have contributed to reduced trust.
