Scotland for Decrim stands in full solidarity with the trans community.
Decriminalisation is, at its core, an inclusive movement that works to ensure the safety and dignity of all marginalised groups who are overrepresented in sex work. Among these groups is the trans community, who has come under unrelenting attacks and discriminatory legislation, notably the UK’s Supreme Court Ruling in April 2025.
The rise in transphobia is part of a wider pattern of aggravated authoritarianism and the loss of hard fought for rights across society. Trans people are used as a scapegoat and a distraction from the relentless issues caused by capitalism and an unequal society. Many trans people engage in sex work due to the demands of a system that exploits and harms them, limiting their access to a stable income, secure housing or healthcare.
The Nordic Model’s approach of criminalising clients has been proven to increase violence against the most marginalised sex workers. Trans workers, who are at higher risk of poverty and homelessness, are therefore disproportionately affected and are forced to take on riskier clients and services, or work in more dangerous and isolated conditions, simply to survive. Trans sex workers are also disproportionately targeted by police, reporting increased surveillance, harassment and assaults by police than their cis counterparts. As well as this, trans migrants are at an increased risk of detention and deportation for simply being suspected of sex work.
Trans people deserve to live in a world that respects and supports them, protects their rights, and enables them to thrive. There is no liberation without trans liberation.
Scotland for Decrim.