I'm 10 years into my transition and I still face transphobia every day

As a trans woman of colour, I’ve been exposed to years of transphobic hate online. At its worst, it’s stripped away my confidence, made me feel isolated, and made my future feel futile.

Being in the public eye, I receive endless transphobic messages, which is why the findings of a recent report into transphobia online don’t surprise me. The reported 1.5million transphobic posts may seem high, but for those experiencing this hate online it’s less shocking – it’s simply the dark and dangerous reality many of us face daily.

I’m 10 years into my transition and I know who I am, but there are many people early on in their journey who may be unsure about their gender, sexuality or identity, who are being targeted at an already difficult time. What’s more, not everyone has a support network to help them face the incessant online abuse. Many of these people are carrying the burden of online hate alone.

Unfortunately there are key themes showing up in online transphobia. The same report found that people are using their status to justify spreading transphobic views, posting on social media that ‘as a mother of two kids’ they must protect their children from anyone that is trans.

This vitriol is eerily similar to the treatment of gay people in the 1980s, when Section 28 banned the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools. We are seeing the same hysteria and mass panic around transgender people today.

We never look at racism, sexism or homophobia and say it’s an opinion, so why is transphobia such a free-for-all?

Another finding from that same report struck a chord with me. It found a strong relationship between transphobia and racism, with people sharing racist posts using transphobia to legitimise their racism. I’ve had comments on photos of me that mixed transphobia with Nazi ideology a number of times, and there is an almost constant undertone of racism within the transphobic hate I receive.

It isn’t just individuals being targeted either. Services and charities that support the transgender community are also falling victim to online smear campaigns and harassment. I’ve experienced this first-hand while trying to be a positive voice in the conversation around trans rights, with each small step forward coming under such extreme scrutiny that the next one is even harder to make.

While online abuse varies in its severity, the sheer volume of hateful posts being directed to trans people means it can snowball. As a trans person online, it’s hard to stop yourself collecting more snow and feeling overwhelmed.

The effects of this kind of transphobia go beyond the online sphere, breeding hostility toward trans people offline as well. While this level of intolerance and bigotry is allowed to continue unregulated online, there will be negative implications for the wider society.

The information that spreads online can inform how society views trans people, which goes hand in hand with whether the public are for or against trans rights. Every single transphobic post online is an attack on trans rights, and serves to skew society’s standpoint on the issue.

Transphobia is seen by many as a valid opinion. We never look at racism, sexism or homophobia and say it’s an opinion, so why is transphobia such a free-for-all?

I’ve seen most of the transphobic comments in this report on my timeline, ranging from memes and abuse to actual threats to my safety. The experience of dealing with this all the time is made harder when the people perpetrating it don’t seem to be sanctioned, or face consequences, for their behaviour.

It’s time that social media platforms did more to tackle transphobia on their sites, instead of allowing abusers free reign to oppress the transgender community.

We can’t expect anyone to be anything other than who they are. Social media platforms have a responsibility to act before more innocent people fall victim to transphobia, both online and offline. Action is needed now before it’s too late.

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