Gender Diversity and inclusion at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS)

Lyndsay was invited to speak by colleagues at AUAS to an audience of staff, current students and alumni, many of whom work in professional settings across the field of education, health and social care. Her presentation considered the background to current narratives circulating around gender diversity by looking back at some of the history and context of how trans and gender diverse people have historically been (mis)represented and often (mis)understood. She proposed that increased coverage in the media, proclaimed by Time Magazine’s 2014 cover of Laverne Cox as a ‘Transgender Tipping point’ has not led to greater acceptance and inclusion. Indeed, in the conversations that followed, amongst the wide range of people who attended the event, there was acknowledgement of the rise of all kinds of exclusionary and discriminatory narratives across the world.

These dialogues confirm what we already know from research, namely that trans people are four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent crime (Flores et al., 2021). From an even more recent large-scale study of LGBT+ people across Europe, we also know that trans people experience more discrimination and violence than cisgender lesbian, gay or bisexual people (Evje et al., 2024).

In such a context, Amnesty UK described the ruling by the UK Supreme Court (The Supreme Court UK, 2025) as having potentially concerning consequences for trans people and highlighted that the vilification of a marginalised minority group is absolutely wrong.

Was there ever a greater need for research, education and better-informed conversations?

www.amnesty.org.uk/pre...