On 5 September 2026, GATE submitted a report to the Call for Inputs to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders to the 64th Human Rights Council in relation to the issues affecting trans and gender diverse human rights defenders.
Summary
This submission focuses on the severe mental health and psychosocial crises facing trans and gender diverse human rights defenders worldwide.
Drawing on extensive GATE’s global surveys conducted in 2023 and 2026, as well as a GATE organization member’s report from Fem Alliance Uganda (FEMA), the document illustrates how coordinated anti-gender movements and international funding cuts intersect to harm trans and gender diverse human rights defenders’ mental health and psychosocial well-being. The core argument is that the resulting psycho-emotional stress and burnout are not byproducts of the work, but rather deliberate strategies employed by anti-rights actors to restrict civic space, spread disinformation, and exhaust the very people sustaining these movements.
What are the challenges?
Trans and gender diverse human rights defenders operate in increasingly hostile environments characterized by criminalizing legislation, violence, and multisectoral attacks.
The document highlights that trans-led organizations reported a visible rise in anti-gender movements, primarily driven by digital hate speech from social media influencers, foreign-funded religious institutions, and political actors. At the national level, case studies from Uganda reveal daily realities of physical attacks, arbitrary arrests, mob violence, and a complete lack of legal gender recognition or anti-discrimination protections. Compounding these threats, trans-led organizations face reduced funding opportunities and 83% report heightened security risks, creating an overwhelming burden as community demand for their support surges.
What is the impact on trans communities?
The systemic attacks have profound operational and psychological consequences, with trans-led organizations reporting severe staff burnout and exhaustion as their primary impact.
This exhaustion directly weakens organizational capacity, forcing the suspension or closure of life-saving community services such as HIV prevention, legal aid, and emergency shelters. Furthermore, a justified fear of discrimination, arrest, and retaliation prevents respondents from safely accessing healthcare, leading to severe disruptions in treatment. Ultimately, this hostile environment causes profound psychological trauma, driving high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among human rights defenders and the communities they serve.
Recommendations to protect the lives and work of trans and gender diverse human rights defenders
To safeguard the lives and work of these defenders, GATE recommendations outline actionable recommendations for Member States, donors, and healthcare providers.
Member States are urged to repeal all laws criminalizing sexual orientation and gender identity, and to enact rapid-response protection mechanisms such as emergency relocation funds and safe housing. Donors and philanthropic actors are advised to offer long-term, unrestricted funding that explicitly finances both physical security and psychosocial well-being. Finally, mental health professionals must eliminate pathologizing clinical practices, develop trans-competency training co-designed by the community, and implement robust privacy protocols to protect defenders from fatal exposure or prosecution.
