‘Lesbians being anti-trans is a lesbophobic trope’

Amy Ashenden, Interim CEO of Just Like Us, is dispelling the harmful trope that lesbians are against the trans community.

WORDS BY AMY ASHENDEN

31st March 2023

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New research by Just Like Us has found that lesbians are the most likely of the whole LGBTQ+ community to be supportive of trans people. Lesbians are the most likely to say they know a trans person (92%), and also the most likely to say they are “supportive” or “very supportive” of trans people (96%). That’s compared to 89% of LGBTQ+ people overall, and just 69% of non-LGBTQ+ people.

The research was independently conducted and surveyed more than 3,600 adults aged 18-25. Even within a group of young adults, who would be expected to be more supportive of trans people, lesbians are still incredibly strong trans allies relative to the rest of the LGBTQ+ community.

But there are other reasons that the idea that lesbians are more likely to be anti-trans doesn’t add up. One is that being a lesbian and being trans are not mutually exclusive – sexual orientation and gender are different parts of our identities. You can be trans and a lesbian.


Secondly, as a lesbian, I see so much overlap with the experiences we and trans communities encounter in the heterosexist world we live in. Particularly, as a butch lesbian, I know that we are both used to living in the margins, to not having our identities respected or understood. Lesbians and trans people stand side by side – we always have done and always will. And this isn’t just my opinion, the research shows this is the case too.

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