When you step into a GP surgery, a clinic, or a hospital waiting room, you expect care. You expect to be heard. You expect to be treated like a human being. But for many trans+ people in the UK, this simple expectation is still far from reality — and the consequences can be life-changing.

Trans+ people statistically face a higher risk of certain cancers — due to the stresses and barriers we experience discrimination, avoidance of GP appointments, lack of inclusive screening pathways, and socioeconomic disadvantage.

Despite this increased need, trans+ people are less likely to attend cancer screenings. Cervical, breast/chest, colorectal, and prostate screening rates are all significantly lower than those of cisgender people.

The project

Trans Aware Cancer Care (TACC) began with a simple aim: to understand what it feels like for trans+ people to access (or try to access) cancer services. What it uncovered became much more — a powerful reminder that healthcare systems, no matter how well-meaning, can unintentionally push people away.

This project was about people’s stories, their fears, their resilience, their art and their hope for a healthcare system that sees them, respects them, and welcomes them.

Across workshops and Pride events (I reflect on the first session here), TACC invited trans+ people, allies, and family members to express their experiences by creating personalised fabric squares. Over 90 were created to be sewn into a 3m x 6m trans pride flag — a living archive of community stories.

Read the research report here: TACC Report.

Some squares were joyful and affirming, some were reflective and more than half described experiences of being misgendered or deadnamed, being treated with suspicion or judgement, being refused treatment, feeling unsafe or avoiding healthcare altogether. For some, the fear of mistreatment outweighed the fear of cancer:

“I will never get a cervical screening because my doctors don’t respect my identity. That feels more bearable than being treated as a woman.”

One good interaction can change everything

Among the stories were moments of hope — where a nurse checked a preferred name, used inclusive language, or took the time to ask “How can I make this feel better for you?”

One participant shared how just one positive appointment restored their confidence in attending future screenings. Another described the nurse who supported them as a “legend.” These stories show what we already know: affirming care is not complicated and it saves lives.

Creating safer spaces through creativity

TACC didn’t follow a traditional research format. It was intentionally “queered” — reimagined to centre humanity, art, and lived experience.

Workshops took place in community venues, bookshops, cafés, Pride events, and online video calls. Participants were welcomed without needing to define or defend their identity. No one had to fill in forms if they didn’t want to. They could write, draw, stitch, vent, or just sit quietly.

People shared their stories in ways that felt safe and honest. This approach did not just ‘gather data’ — it built trust.

What needs to change?

1. Decouple cancer screening from gender markers

Trans women should be able to receive both breast and prostate screening. Trans men and non-binary people with a cervix should be called for cervical screening. This requires systems change — not patient compromise.

2. Include preferred names and pronouns in all medical records

Consistently. Automatically. Not as an optional afterthought.

3. Make space for conversations about anatomy

Especially before procedures that involve uncovering intimate areas. A simple “Is there anything we should know before we start?” can prevent trauma and build trust.

4. Prioritise staff education

Many negative experiences come from a lack of knowledge, not malice. Curiosity is important, so too are training and resources for all staff.

5. Build Trans+-aware health spaces

The community expressed a need for general health clinics that feel safe, accessible, and affirming — a model that could ripple into wider healthcare improvement.

Waving the flag

TACC’s giant trans pride flag does what numbers cannot: it shows the weight of lived experience. The pain, the joy, the anger, pride, exhaustion and hope.

Every square represents a real person — someone who walked into a workshop or a Pride stall and was brave enough to share their truth. We have been joyfully stitching this work together, with cancer professionals, team members, co-researchers and community members.

Improving cancer outcomes for trans+ people starts with listening, with trying, with getting names and pronouns right. And it starts now.

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For more information about the project please read here.

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