31 March 2026

By Nikki Hayden, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner; Co-Chair and Trans lead of Pride@CNWL

Each year on Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), marked on 31 March, we celebrate transgender and non-binary people while also recognising the barriers many still face in everyday life.

For me, visibility has always been complicated. Growing up, I knew from a young age that something about me felt different, but I didn’t yet have the language to explain it. Like many transgender people, it took time to understand what those feelings meant and to realise that there were others who felt the same way. When I gained this understanding, I was unable to share it with those closest to me. When I did in early adulthood, I had to leave the family home and became estranged from some family for several years, too common an experience the LGBTQ+ community face.

Today, I work within the NHS supporting people with their mental health. I’m also open about being transgender. Being visible is not always easy, but it can be powerful. When people see themselves reflected in healthcare staff and services, it sends an important message: you are safe here.

"Being visible is not always easy, but it can be powerful."

Before I joined CNWL, I personally experienced times where I tried to access mainstream services following physical violence for being recognised as being transgender. I was instead pointed to a gender identity clinic when this specialist care wasn’t needed, so had to advocate for myself during a very difficult time. Experiences like this can leave people feeling invisible at precisely the moment they most need care.

I want to remind everyone of an important principle: trans people should be treated within regular services according to their clinical need, just like anyone else. Gender Identity Clinics exist to support gender-related care, but they should not become a barrier to accessing other types of healthcare when those needs arise. This message is particularly important in mental health services, where trust, accessibility and compassion are central to good care.

Trans Day of Visibility also comes at a time when conversations about transgender people are becoming more visible in wider society. For many trans people, this increased attention can feel both hopeful and challenging. In recent years there have been ongoing public discussions about healthcare access, legal definitions, and service provision for transgender people. At the same time, many trans people continue to face significant challenges.

Moments like this remind us how important it is that workplaces, especially healthcare organisations, continue to centre compassion, respect and dignity for everyone.

Within CNWL, I’ve seen the difference that supportive colleagues and inclusive leadership can make. Through networks like Pride@CNWL, staff across the Trust work together to create spaces where LGBTQ+ colleagues and service users feel respected, valued and supported.

The network also provides LGBTQ+ awareness and inclusion training. We also regularly deliver tailored sessions for individual teams or departments across the Trust. If your team would like to arrange training or learn more about inclusive practice, you can contact us at cnwl.lgbtq@nhs.net

Staff who would like to be involved can also register as a member or ally of the LGBTQ+ staff network, helping to support inclusive practice across the Trust. 

Trans Day of Visibility is therefore both a celebration and a reminder. It celebrates the diversity, resilience and contributions of transgender people in our communities. At the same time, it reminds us why listening to lived experience matters in shaping services that truly work for everyone.

Visibility matters because representation matters.

"When people see someone like them working in healthcare, accessing care, or simply living their life openly, it can make the world feel a little more possible."

This Trans Day of Visibility, I hope we continue working together to ensure that everyone, staff and service users alike, can access healthcare that is compassionate, inclusive and centred on their individual needs.

Graeme Caul, CNWL’s Chief Operating Officer, said

 “I’m proud to sponsor our LGBTQ+ network and work alongside so many other talented and courageous individuals who bring their whole selves to work every day, I want you all to know that you are seen, valued, celebrated and I hope you feel safe, respected and valued and able to be your authentic self here at CNWL

It means a great deal to me personally; as a gay man.

Let’s continue to stand together, speak up for one another, and lead with kindness and courage. Caring and respecting each other makes patient care the best it can be too.”