Trans+ History Week will return for its third year from 4 to 10 May 2026, anchored in the commemoration of the 6 May 1933 Nazi raid on the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, the world's first trans clinic. The event comes as the UK marks what founder Marty Davies described as the biggest backslide in trans rights ever, with a nationwide campaign launching to bring trans stories to the forefront.
Marty Davies learned about the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft after publishing a piece on QueerAF, according to research into the project's origins. The institute had been raided by the Nazis on 6 May 1933, with an estimated 20,000 items burned in the first Nazi book burning. That historical revelation inspired Davies to establish Trans+ History Week as a QueerAF launchpad project, according to research. The week now operates as an independent Trans+ led Community Interest Company with a small staff team and volunteers, according to research.
According to multiple sources, QueerAF continues to play an integral role, running the official content and mentoring of creatives for Trans+ History Week while supporting events and working with international partners. Since the launch, over 60 Trans+ creative talents have been paid, mentored, and provided with equipment, those sources added. QueerAF, according to multiple sources, is the UK's only non-profit and regulated LGBTQIA+ publisher, relying on reader revenue to sustain its operations, a model that has allowed it to invest directly in emerging queer storytellers. According to multiple sources, the collaboration between the week and the publisher has been central to its rapid growth.
According to research, the 2026 educational workbook is a free toolkit structured around four lessons covering gender diversity across cultures and time. It explores gender diversity in family models, including the story of Charles Hamilton, and examines pre-colonial trans identities such as Lango's mudoko dako, according to those same sources. Further lessons cover transmasculine communities in Japan and the legacy of Miss Major and Compton's Cafeteria, according to research into the project. The workbook was led by research lead Gray Burke-Stowe and written by Nisreen Fox, Kat Joplin, Ella Osho, and William Elisabeth Cuthbert, multiple sources indicated. Beyond these four topics, the specific contents and methodology remain undisclosed.
The national campaign Reflections runs from 30 April to 10 May, with multiple reports indicating it will bring Trans+ stories to the forefront across the UK. Produced by Trans+ History Week, QueerAF, and creative agency Uncharted Studio, it draws on research from The Diversity Standards Collective with Trans+ people across the country, media outlets reported. According to organisers, the campaign seeks to counter trans erasure by placing authentic narratives in everyday public settings. Organisers have said the consultation process was key to ensuring genuine representation.
The UK enters this LGBT+ History Month marking a new historical milestone: The biggest backslide in Trans+ rights and safety ever in the UK.
Reflections includes new historical reporting in partnership with QueerAF, the platform that funds queer creatives, according to media outlets covering the launch. According to media outlets, a dedicated events programme in London will feature two flagship events, though the full schedule has not been revealed. According to QueerAF, the reporting component continues the mission of surfacing overlooked histories that began with the discovery of the institute's destruction.
The campaign has secured out-of-home advertising across the UK, with multiple reports confirming installations at Liverpool Central Station, Manchester's Hotel Football, Brighton's Churchill Square, Newcastle Haymarket, London's Boxpark Wembley, and Edinburgh Towers. According to the campaign, the centrepiece is a takeover of Outernet London, a prominent digital venue. Reports also indicate that these locations, along with UK-wide publications, will carry the campaign's visuals. Organisers say the nationwide spread is designed to make trans histories unavoidable.
The Outernet London installation features an immersive display where headlines appear beneath a water surface, slowly unveiled by a droplet ripple, according to event coverage. Event coverage reported that an original three-minute ambient soundscape by TRANS VOICES transforms the public screen into a space for contemplation. Event coverage described the sensory experience as moving beyond traditional advertising, inviting audiences to engage emotionally. According to organisers, the use of a major London venue marks a significant push for trans visibility in the capital.
On Trans+ History Day, 6 May, a community evening with Headline Sponsor Deloitte UK will include a live recording of the QueerAF podcast, multiple outlets reported. According to multiple outlets, hosted by Lars Fellows, known from BBC's I Kissed a Boy, the recording will feature Big Brother stars Nadia Almada and Zelah Glasson discussing representation on reality TV. A panel on the power of storytelling, hosted by Ki Griffin, is also planned, according to media listings. While attendance numbers for the evening have not been confirmed, organisers anticipate strong interest, multiple outlets reported.
Thousands of women have been mobilising against trans exclusion in the year since the For Women Scotland Supreme Court ruling, according to media reports. The full details of that ruling and its long-term implications for trans rights remain subjects of debate. Reports also indicate that trans+ people and their allies are increasingly organising for fundamental rights, using the commemorative week as a platform for advocacy.
The UK enters this LGBT+ History Month marking what founder Marty Davies, in comments to PinkNews, called the biggest backslide in Trans+ rights and safety ever recorded. Organisers say Trans+ History Week 2026 returns with a powerful message for the UK this May, though the exact nature of that message remains unstated. Upcoming parliamentary scrutiny of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Code of Practice adds further uncertainty to the regulatory landscape. Against this backdrop, the week offers a moment of reflection on both history and contemporary struggles.