For all trans workers in the arts, always

Over the past five years, hate crimes against transgender people have risen by 186% (National Centre for Social Research, 2023). The theatre industry is no exception. Creatives have warned that transphobic abuse is increasing across the sector (The Stage, 2023).

Trans people also continue to face persistent negative experiences in the workplace. Organisational oversights, such as a lack of appropriate bathroom facilities, can lead to social exclusion and signal that trans workers are not fully considered (Beauregard et al., 2020).

In theatre, where time and funding are always stretched thin, it can feel impossible to find the resources to address these systemic issues. Our sector is fighting to survive amid inflation and rising production costs (SOLT, 2025), and inclusion work can easily be deprioritised.

But for trans individuals working in theatre, these oversights have a personal and exhausting cost. From the stories shared with us as our organisation grew, we heard time and time again about the need to continually self-advocate in every new role, to explain, justify, and negotiate the basics of their safety and respect.

This issue is particularly acute in theatre, where 71% of the workforce are freelancers (Freelancers Make Theatre Work, 2024). As freelancers move from job to job, they are repeatedly forced to navigate these same barriers.

The best thing you can do is sign up to our mailing list - this is how we will contact you for help! We are always looking for volunteers to give their time or expertise to us. We are a small team doing a big job, and every sign-up is huge.

We are also fundraising - if you can give, please go to our donate page.

We are especially looking for lawyers and theatre professionals at the moment - if you think you can help, please get in touch using our email.

We are a small group of theatre professionals based around the UK, who got together to run Pink Book after the government’s original ERHC guidance was released in 2025. We realised that the guidance was vague and confusing for people in our sector, and we wanted to help trans and gender nonconforming people in the arts be treated with dignity and respect.

We firmly believe that the arts sector was built by queer people, and we cannot be erased and removed from it easily. We exist to arm trans people with the knowledge of how they are protected under the law, and to help venues make inclusive choices.