The LGBTQ+ community in the 21st century is stronger than ever, and we as a society have made more progress in accepting queer people. However, in recent years discrimination against queer people has become more common, and trans people are the first to be targeted. This article was written to highlight the struggles of trans people as they are an especially vulnerable minority, experiencing a considerably high burden of both mental health issues and discrimination, as well as the stress of constantly being surrounded by stigmas and misconceptions in a primarily cis- and heteronormative patriarchal society. 

We at Anna Whitlocks Gymnasium, a school in Sweden, conducted a survey and spread it around via the internet and word of mouth. This survey was made to examine trans people’s experiences with discrimination in Sweden. In the end, we had a total of 49 answers. We also conducted an interview on a person who will be referred to here as "Anonymous" to protect their identity.

We asked Anonymous a series of questions regarding discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and their experience with it, being part of the community themselves. They shared that, while they haven't experienced any outright discrimination or hate themselves, they knew multiple people who had. They also answered that while they do use jokes about homophobia, they do not use jokes about transphobia, stating that it's a more severe topic and it would feel insensitive to joke about it. The general consensus based on the survey seems to be this way as well, with the vast majority answering "no" when asked if they use jokes about transphobia compared to much higher number of people who used homophobia in a joking manner. Many of these people stated that transphobia is more of a serious topic or not something to joke about. One person said: “Trans people get enough hate so it is not usually as funny” This all seems to point to that transphobia is still seen as a current issue and people see and experience to much of the actual thing to feel comfortable joking about it. You can be relatively sure that there will not be homophobic people in queer spaces, but the same cannot always be said about transphobia. 

Our survey's main focus was about discrimination in Sweden. We asked about gender, whether they are a part of the LGBTQ community and their overall experience with homophobia/transphobia, as well a if if they knew other people who had been discriminated against. The overwhelming majority of survey-takers shared some experience with discrimination in Sweden. Out of the 41 people who identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community 39 reported that they had experienced some kind of phobia. The overall experience of being LGBTQ+ in Sweden is, by many, said to be neutral. Even though it has become more widely accepted, queer people are still commonly looked down upon, and in some social situations, they end up being the butt of the joke. It is also a big problem on the internet, as people feel more comfortable sharing their true opinions online. One survey-taker shared a friend's experience in the hospital, explaining, "When the nurse found out that he was trans, she didn't even want to touch him." They explain that the same person, when seeking help in the hospital, always gets the same advice: to stop taking HRT. This is unfortunately a common experience. When trans people seek primary care, the focus tends to be on their gender identity instead of the need for care, even when HRT is irrelevant to the topic at hand (2025) This is mostly because of the lack of education over trans healthcare. Furthermore, religion plays a big part in the hate against LGTBQ+ people. This seems to be much more common among people who grew up in hugely religious families, where they get kicked out of their homes after coming out to their families. 

What is HRT? HRT stands for Hormone Replacement Therapy and, in the context of specifically gender-affirming hormone therapy, means taking sex hormones to replace the ones your body naturally produces (e.g Male-to-Female taking estrogen to block out testosterone). While used to treat gender dysphoria, HRT is also used in various hormone disorders as well as menopausal symptoms. In this text, we will talk about gender-affirming hormone therapy when referring to HRT, which is not to discount the one used in menopause. Read more about menopausal HRT here.

It is a notoriously lengthy process to get a legal gender reassignment in Sweden. Most trans people either go for private gender affirming care or cross borders in order to get HRT. The Legal Gender Recognition Act only came into effect about a year ago (1st July 2025), a law which states that you don't need a medical or psychiactric diagnosis for gender dysphoria anymore in order to legally change your gender. However, for people under 18 and over 16, you would need parental consent before applying for a gender change. This law made it somewhat easier on the paperwork for trans people to change their legal gender and, in addition to this, it could possibly even shorten wait times. Note, however, that this only applies for the legal process to change genders and does not take into account HRT nor possible surgeries. In fact, most trans people with a prescription for testosterone often need to cross over the border to Norway or Denmark in order to buy testosterone, as it is still classified as a performance-enhancing drug. 

The pride flag reflected in a puddle of water. Image: Sahara Elliston.

Moreover, Sweden has faced criticism for being the only country in the north to still require a doctor's note in order to apply for a legal gender change, in comparison with countries such as Norway or Finland, where you simply have to fill out a form online and wait a month for confirmation. Furthermore, the issue of the gender markers. In Sweden, there are only two gender markers on your passport, male or female, meaning that for non-binary individuals need to pick one they identify with the most, compared to countries such as Denmark and Iceland, that have introduced a third—gender marker labelled "X". This means that Sweden is comparatively far behind on the necessary steps to accommodate for trans people in today’s society.

In terms of the workplace, discrimination against trans people is a relatively common experience. According to a survey conducted by the EU Agency (EU LGBTIQ Survey III 2023) and a Nordic analysis of the results published by Gothenburg's University (2025), a high percentage of trans people, especially trans women (22-33%) in Sweden, have reported being discriminated against in the past 12 months when looking for a job. Additionally, many trans people have reported negative experiences at work, such as microaggressions, belittling jokes about trans people and other negative comments. Around 90% of these negative experiences go unreported. The problem lies also within the fear of being outed by commenting on it or reporting it. Trans people are also at a worryingly high risk of being exposed to gender-based violence as well as a higher rate of suicidality, as well as being discriminated against in the ward. There are few support outlets for trans people nowadays, which is why it's important to have a good support network. 

In conclusion, trans people face a higher risk of discrimination and violence in their daily lives, as well as having higher rates of a variety of mental health issues. Sweden is also comparatively far behind in accepting trans rights and we should do better in support of the marginalised. The main lesson here is one of acceptance—to educate more people about trans identities as well as teaching people to respect others. After all, we are all human, and we all need to treat each other as such. 

This text was written as a partnership article and as a collaboration between three people. Read our companionship article here.