Trans and out: British transwoman fleeing UK ‘hate’ for Thailand

A British transwoman says she’s preparing to flee the country after a bombshell Supreme Court ruling left her fearing for her life on the streets of the United Kingdom.

Alexis Solia, a content creator and activist, says she’s endured years of abuse simply for existing, but last month’s landmark ruling that “sex” in the Equality Act means biological sex was, she says, “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“I’m more afraid than ever to leave the house. It feels like we’ve been told we’re not welcome anymore.”

The April ruling by five top justices confirmed that a gender recognition certificate does not legally change a trans person’s sex under the Equality Act, raising fresh questions about who can access single-sex spaces.

For Solia, who’s suffered both verbal and physical abuse in public, the decision has only deepened anti-trans hostility, PA Real Life reported.

“It’s terrifying and I’m exhausted by the constant scrutiny of our bodies, the obsession with our genitals and the punishment we face simply for existing. For transwomen, it means more discrimination and people having more ammunition to use against us. It’s almost like a letter saying: ‘You’re not allowed in society anymore.’”

The 30 year old is now planning to move to Chiang Mai, Thailand, later this summer, where she hopes the more inclusive culture will offer safety, peace of mind, and access to gender-affirming care, despite Thailand’s lack of full legal recognition for trans identities.

“I just want to go about my life and be left alone. I’m tired of having to prove who I am.”

Over the past four years, Solia says she’s been physically and sexually assaulted in the UK and repeatedly harassed in public.

“In pubs, men will randomly put their hand up my skirt. Taxi drivers ask what’s between my legs. In restaurants, people misgender me on purpose, ‘hello sir,’ just to get a reaction.

“One woman complimented my hair, then suddenly yelled ‘you’re a f***ing man,’ pulled it and tried to hit me. It’s like we’re fair game and there’s no empathy.”

She slammed the common myth that transwomen are a threat in public toilets, calling it “ridiculous.”

“Most of us aren’t even attracted to women. We take hormones that reduce testosterone and sex drive. And expecting us to use men’s toilets is dangerous, it makes us targets.”

 

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Solia believes the rise in transphobia is linked to wider misogyny, fuelled by growing male power and a culture that seeks to control women.

“Some women are celebrating this control but it’s coming from the same root. When trans misogyny rises, so does misogyny in general.”

Figures back up her fears. A National Audit Office report this year revealed that sexual assault rates against women in England and Wales have jumped from 3.4% in 2009-10 to 4.3% in 2023-24. Police reports of rape and sexual assault have quadrupled in that time.

Jane Fae, a director at TransActual, acknowledged the significant rise in people looking to leave the UK.

“Violent vigilante attacks on trans people began just hours after the court ruling. Stress, mental health issues and suicide ideation are off the scale.”

Solia plans to attend London Pride in July before making the move abroad. She’s launched a fundraiser to help cover the £5,000 (221,000 baht) cost, raising nearly half so far.

“Seeing that support brought me to tears. “Someone donated £1,000 (44,000 baht), it was so generous. It reminded me there’s still kindness out there.”

In Thailand, she hopes to find rest, dignity and access to hormone blockers, laser treatment, and potentially surgery, without the “bureaucracy and barriers” faced in the UK.

“The culture’s more accepting,” she said. “It’s not perfect but it’s safer, and that’s all I want: to live.”