TGEU urges EU Commission to uphold trans inclusion in Central EU Gender Roadmap

The European Commission’s new roadmap on women’s rights underscores the importance of gender equality in EU policy making. While it reflects the Commission’s commitment to advancing gender equality, it fails to explicitly include trans and gender diverse people, particularly trans women, who continue to face systemic discrimination, violence, and political backlash. This omission is not merely an oversight, it undermines the EU’s commitment to intersectional gender equality. Strengthening the roadmap with explicit references to trans rights would reinforce the EU’s broader commitments to human rights and inclusion.

As gender equality faces mounting challenges from anti-rights movements, it is more crucial than ever for the Commission to take a firm and unequivocal stand in support of all women, including trans women, and gender diverse people. The rise of right-wing populism has intensified opposition to the rights of women, and trans and gender diverse communities, contributing to a broader erosion of fundamental protections for marginalised groups. Anti-rights movements increasingly target trans rights as a strategic means to weaken gender equality and human rights frameworks.

If the Commission fails to adopt a reformative and intersectional approach to gender equality in its roadmap, it risks inadvertently reinforcing right-wing narratives, allowing populist policymakers to frame inaction as a victory. To effectively counter these threats, the roadmap must explicitly include trans people.

Our demands

True gender equality in the EU cannot be achieved without the inclusion of trans people. Any gender equality framework that overlooks the experiences of trans people is inherently incomplete. We urge the Commission to:

• Ensure the explicit inclusion of trans people in the Gender Equality Strategy, with defined objectives aimed at providing protections against discrimination based on gender identity in areas such as employment, healthcare, and education, ultimately fostering tangible socio-economic inclusion.
• Ensure that all references to gender equality use inclusive language, such as ‘women and men in all their diversity’ in line with the EU’s existing human rights commitments.
• Consult with trans-led organisations, including TGEU, to ensure that policies accurately reflect the lived realities of trans people across the EU.

The Commission has a crucial opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to advancing trans rights, as outlined in the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, and to establish a comprehensive and inclusive gender equality framework. To maintain consistent progress, it is essential to integrate the rights and inclusion of trans people at every level of policy-making. Failure to do so would not only undermine the EU’s dedication to equality but also overlook the persistent discrimination, violence, and marginalisation faced by the trans community in today’s political climate.