On Tuesday, the 11th of February, YouGov released the results of a survey showing a significant negative shift in public attitudes towards trans people—especially towards trans women, who are increasingly being portrayed as a threat in public spaces.
This shift hasn’t happened in a vacuum. It’s the direct result of a relentless fear-mongering campaign by a variety of groups, both here in the UK, in the USA and elsewhere. They are all part of the so-called gender-critical movement—a movement that claims to be defending women’s rights but, in reality, has done nothing to tackle the actual threats to women’s safety.
Over the last decade, this movement has successfully shifted public perception by using misleading data, selective storytelling, and moral panic tactics. The result? A growing hostility toward trans people—especially trans women—who simply want to live their lives in peace.
The extent of the negative shift in public perception of trans people was revealed last week in the alarming results of a YouGov survey
But while the media obsesses over trans people, the real threats to women’s safety go ignored. And for business and public sector leaders, this isn’t just a social issue—it’s a workplace issue.
A workforce that tolerates misinformation, discrimination, and division is an unhappy, unproductive one. Leaders who want to build inclusive, high-performing teams cannot afford to ignore the impact of this manufactured crisis.
How Gender-Critical Arguments Mislead the Public
1. The False Threat of Trans Women in Women’s Spaces
One of the most effective gender-critical talking points has been the claim that trans women pose a risk to cisgender women in female-only spaces—toilets, changing rooms, shelters, and prisons.
But where is the evidence?
- There is no statistical data showing an increase in assaults in women’s spaces in countries that have trans-inclusive policies.
- The UK government has confirmed that there is no recorded case of a trans woman sexually assaulting a woman or girl in a public toilet or changing room.
- In studies from the US, Canada, and other countries, trans-inclusive policies have not led to an increase in sex crimes.
Despite this, gender-critical activists foster a culture of fear, using carefully chosen anecdotes to imply that allowing trans women into female spaces will lead to harm. This is not based on real-world data but on emotion-driven narratives designed to provoke fear.
The result? Businesses, public sector organisations, and workplaces become battlegrounds where employees feel unsafe expressing support for trans colleagues or feel emboldened to spread misinformation unchecked.
2. Misrepresenting Crime Statistics
A key gender-critical argument is that trans women, as a group, are more likely to commit sexual offenses than cis women. They often cite statistics about trans women in prison to justify this claim.
This is where the data gets complicated—and where misleading conclusions are easily drawn.
What We Know About Trans Prisoners and Sexual Offences
FOI requests have revealed that a significant percentage of trans women in UK prisons are serving time for sexual offences.
The proportion of trans women in prison who have been convicted of sexual offences is higher than that of cis men.
But here’s the problem: The number of trans women in prisons is very small, less than 200 and we don’t have enough information to determine what types of offences were committed, whether these individuals transitioned before or after their convictions, or how gender identity was recorded in each case.
The lack of clarity in the data and the very small numbers make it impossible to draw reliable conclusions. And yet, gender-critical activists present these numbers without context, encouraging the public to assume that all trans women are a threat rather than recognising that prison populations do not reflect the general trans population.
What we DO know is that the overwhelming majority of sex offenders in the UK are cisgender men.
So why are gender-critical activists so focused on trans people, who make up a tiny fraction of the population?
The Real Threat to Women’s Safety is Being Ignored
While the media obsesses over where trans people go to the toilet, the actual dangers to women and girls are getting worse - and yet, the gender-critical movement is silent on these issues:
- Rising Sexual Violence: Reports of sexual assault and domestic violence are increasing, yet conviction rates remain shockingly low.
- Police Misconduct: Investigations have found hundreds of UK police officers accused of sexual assault, including those tasked with “protecting” women.
- The Radicalization of Young Men: Figures like Andrew Tate are spreading toxic misogyny, shaping a generation of boys who see women as sex objects.
- The Erosion of Reproductive Rights: In the US, where gender-critical ideology has merged with right-wing extremism, women’s rights are actively being rolled back—from abortion bans to attacks on birth control access.
Yet instead of tackling these crises, the focus remains on trans people—who pose no threat to women’s safety whatsoever.
What Do Trans People Actually Want?
The only people at risk in this manufactured “trans debate” are trans people themselves.
Most trans women just want to blend in, live their lives, and be treated with dignity. Many of us who are non-binary want to express our identities freely without fear.
✔️ We are not a threat.
✔️ We are not an ideology.
✔️ We are human beings, just like you.
Yet, thanks to relentless attacks from the gender-critical movement, many trans people are now too afraid to exist in public spaces, to apply for jobs, to speak up, or even to be seen.
- Hate crimes against trans people have surged.
- Young trans people are suffering mental health crises at alarming rates.
- Political leaders are debating whether we should even be legally recognized.
This is not about “reasonable debate” - it’s about erasure.
A Call to Leaders and Managers: Don’t Be Misled by the Misinformation
If you’re in a position of leadership, if you manage people, if you care about fostering a truly inclusive workplace, you need to recognise what’s happening.
This campaign against trans people is NOT about protecting women.
It is a distraction designed to pit marginalised groups against each other while the real issues—misogyny, male violence, and systemic inequality—go unchecked.
- Ignoring the problem allows discriminatory behaviour to thrive in your workplace.
- A toxic, misinformed work culture is bad for trans employees - but also bad for your business.
- A happier, more productive workforce requires truth, inclusion, dignity, and respect.
Instead of buying into the fear-mongering and misinformation, organisations need to stand for truth and inclusion, to promote a culture of dignity and respect.
If you’re serious about creating a safer and more equitable world, with Pride month in June, it’s time to invite trans and non-binary speakers, educators, and advocates into your spaces.
✔️ Listen to our voices.
✔️ Hear our stories.
✔️ Challenge the narratives being fed to you.
Because when trans and non-binary people are safe, when our rights are secure, when we are treated with dignity and respect - the world is safer for everyone.
Are you ready to hear the truth? Let’s start the conversation.
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