The transgender community is under attack. Recorded hate crimes against trans people have increased by 11 per cent in the last year, and by 186 per cent in the last five years.
It comes amid years of declining Government support and a surge in divisive rhetoric against the community.
However, against this backdrop, one Ely-based LGBTQ+ charity is determined to spread joy for as many trans people this year as possible.
Through its campaign, Trans Joy Is Real, The Kite Trust is pushing a message of hope in a bid to tackle what it describes as "exhausting attacks".
Founded in 1993 by a small group of dedicated and committed locals from all walks of life, the Kite Trust was formerly known as the Kite Club and in 2003 as SexYOUality.
Established to support lesbian, gay and bisexual young people aged under-15 in Cambridge, the charity amended its constitution in 2014 and works with trans and gender questioning young people and their families.
Ahead of Pride in Ely on August 3, chief executive Pip Gardner told the Ely Standard the driving force behind the campaign, launched during Pride Month, is to help trans people "caught up in pain".
They said: "At the core of the campaign is fun, connection, community and trans joy.
"Trans people are faced with so many challenges and it can be so easy to get caught up in the pain. When all you see is pain it can be really hard to have hope.
"Therefore, focusing on joy makes it so much easier to have hope and to hope for change. It might not necessarily make all the pain go away, but it means that you can see the positive things."
Supporting LGBTQ+ young people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the Kite Trust has witnessed a significant increase in the number of people accessing its services.
In the last five years, LGBTQ+ young people requiring support has almost doubled, rising from 215 in 2019 to more than 500 this last year.
The proportion of those approaching the charity with questions around gender identity has also spiked, up from 68 per cent to 90 per cent.
Pip added that spreading trans joy is essential at a time when rising hate crimes can be "triggering."
They said: "We know that what's happened politically and socially over the last few years has had a really negative impact on the mental health of trans and gender questioning people.
"When you add the inability to get affirming health care, to feel safe at school, to feel safe walking down the street, that creates a lot of anxiety and people withdraw, which means they're unable to engage in their full, joyful lives.
"And so this is where the campaign originated - we want trans people to be able to feel that, instead of focusing on the hate that our community experiences, there's huge potential to be joyful and to just express themselves how they want."
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