Unthinkable to Unwelcome: The Overton Window and the Transgender Conversation in the UK

By Joanne Lockwood FRSA FIEDP FPSA

The Inclusive Culture Expert | SEE Change Happen

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Why is it suddenly ‘controversial’ just to exist as a trans person in the UK?

I’ve watched with growing concern—and deep exhaustion—as the conversation about transgender lives in the UK has shifted from growing inclusion to toxic scrutiny. Where we were once tentatively stepping forward—towards understanding, acceptance, and equal rights—now, we seem to be stepping backwards.

You might be feeling it too: more hostile headlines, more invasive debates, more hesitancy from organisations who once proudly championed LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

So what’s going on? Why has supporting trans people gone from sensible to “controversial”?

The answer lies, in part, in how the Overton Window is being deliberately manipulated.

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The window of what’s ‘acceptable’ to say about trans people is being dragged backwards—and we need to name it.

There’s been a calculated, persistent effort in the UK to shift public perception of trans people—not just by fringe groups, but in mainstream media, political discourse, and even some academic circles. The result? Ideas that were once “unthinkable” just five years ago—like banning gender-affirming care for young people or framing trans women as inherent threats in public toilets—are now being presented as legitimate policy discussions.

What’s happening isn’t a “debate”. It’s a regression. And it’s being framed as reasonable concern. That’s the Overton Window in action: if you can make fear sound reasonable, you can roll back rights without seeming extreme.

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The Overton Window: What It Is, Where It Came From, and Why Naming It Matters

Before we can fully understand the shifting public perception of trans lives in the UK—and the deliberate backlash we’re seeing—we need to name the mechanism behind it: the Overton Window.

The Overton Window is a concept from political theory that explains the range of ideas that society considers acceptable to talk about publicly at any given time. Anything outside this “window” is dismissed as too extreme, radical, or “off the wall”. But here’s the key thing: that window is not fixed. It moves. And crucially, it can move in either direction—towards progress, or back into stigma.

Typically, ideas move along a recognisable spectrum:

• Unthinkable – Taboo, unspeakable

• Radical – Fringe, disruptive

• Acceptable – Up for debate, controversial but permissible

• Sensible – Rational, balanced

• Popular – Widely supported

• Policy – Enshrined in law or practice

Originally coined by Joseph P. Overton in the 1990s, the theory emerged from libertarian policy circles but has since become a broader lens through which to understand social change. It’s been used to analyse shifts in public health, education, and civil rights—and now, it’s essential to how we understand what’s happening in the UK regarding trans inclusion.

And why does naming this matter?

Because if we don’t recognise that the frame of “what’s acceptable” is actively shaped by media, politics, and cultural narratives, we risk mistaking public discourse for public will. We confuse what’s mainstream with what’s moral. And we fall into the trap of adjusting our goals to fit the window—rather than working to move the window itself.

Too often in DEI work, we hear:

• “That’s too political”.

• “The board isn’t ready for that”.

• “This might alienate some people”.

But the real issue isn’t the idea. It’s where that idea currently sits within the Overton Window—and how that window has been manipulated by those with an agenda.

Naming the Overton Window gives us power. It helps us:

• Expose the systems shaping public opinion

• Challenge artificial neutrality

• Resist the pressure to make inclusion palatable

• Advocate from a place of values, not just acceptance

It’s not about finding safer language or waiting for “the right time”. It’s about acknowledging that real leadership means operating beyond what’s comfortable, and shifting the conversation—intentionally, unapologetically—towards equity and belonging.

And in the case of trans lives, naming the Overton Window is a way to call out the regression we’re witnessing. It allows us to say clearly: this backlash isn’t natural, it’s strategic. And silence in the face of it isn’t neutrality—it’s surrender.

So as we continue, let’s keep this lens in mind. Because the attacks on trans inclusion in the UK aren’t happening because trans people have changed—but because the window is being dragged backwards.

And our role, if we’re serious about inclusion in our workplaces and society’s, is not just to operate within the window—but to stretch it forward.

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Trans Lives Through the Overton Window in the UK

Let’s examine how public and political perception of key trans-related issues has shifted over the past 15 years—showing clearly how the Overton Window has been pulled backwards.

Legal Gender Recognition

2010: Considered radical but becoming more sensible as discourse emerged.

• 2018: Gained widespread support—seen as sensible, even popular following the GRA consultation.

• 2025: Now highly contested again, with progress effectively stalled and public support polarised.

Trans-Inclusive Education

• 2010: Largely unthinkable—rarely discussed in mainstream policy or curriculum.

• 2018: Increasingly acceptable, with some schools introducing inclusive policies.

• 2025: Being recast as “woke ideology”, often under attack from politicians and lobby groups.

Access to Single-Sex Spaces

• 2010: Framed as a radical idea, with limited discussion.

• 2018: Seen as acceptable within most progressive policy circles.

• 2025: Weaponised as a safety issue; public discourse now dominated by fear-based rhetoric.

Non-Binary Recognition

• 2010: Unthinkable—non-binary identities were largely invisible in public life.

• 2018: Gaining visibility; considered radical but increasingly acceptable in inclusive organisations.

• 2025: Re-marginalised; pushed back to “radical” status with legal and societal recognition stalled.

Trans People in Public Discourse

• 2010: Virtually invisible in media and political conversations.

• 2018: Emerging visibility, particularly through positive representation and advocacy.

• 2025: Over-exposed and politicised—trans lives are debated more than respected.

Support for Youth Transition

• 2010: Widely considered unthinkable or fringe.

• 2018: Seen as medically sensible and supported by NHS frameworks.

• 2025: Heavily restricted, cast as dangerous or experimental, with support demonised in political and media narratives.

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This Isn’t Just Cultural – It’s Policy-Driven

These shifts in public sentiment are not occurring in a vacuum. They are underpinned by political choices and institutional actions, including:

• The abandonment of GRA reform in England and Wales, despite public support and a lengthy consultation.

• The Cass Review’s recommendations contributing to the rollback of gender-affirming healthcare access for young people—framed through a “precautionary” lens that erases the lived reality of trans youth.

• The EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) facing strong criticism from LGBTQIA+ organisations for increasingly treating trans rights as a point of “debate” rather than protection.

• Major political parties using trans rights as a wedge issue to divide voters, despite trans people making up less than 1% of the population.

It’s a tactic. Keep people afraid, and you can control the window.

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Learning Moment: The Window Isn’t Neutral. It’s Shaped by Power.

One of the most dangerous misconceptions about the Overton Window is that it “naturally evolves”. It doesn’t. It’s pulled, pushed, stretched—or slammed shut—by those with influence.

In the UK right now, anti-trans actors are winning the narrative war. Not because they’re right—but because they’re loud, coordinated, and strategic.

When you repeat a lie long enough—“trans women are a danger”, “kids are being rushed into surgery”, “trans rights erase women”—those lies start to feel like legitimate concerns. And people, even good people, start to hedge. Start to go quiet.

That silence? That’s complicity in how the window shifts.

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What Can Society, Allies, DEI and People Leaders Do About This?

It’s easy to feel powerless. But I believe we have more influence than we think. Here’s how to challenge the narrative and pull the window back towards inclusion.

1. Name the regression.

Don’t pretend the current climate is a balanced debate. It’s a backlash. Say so. Make space in your communications to talk openly about the coordinated erosion of trans rights.

2. Keep “radical” ideas visible.

Ensure your inclusion strategies still centre trans people—pronouns, gender-neutral facilities, transition support policies, inclusive data collection. Don’t let fear make you shrink your ambition.

3. Speak from lived experience, not ideology.

People relate to people. Share human stories from trans colleagues, clients, family members. Shift the narrative from “debate” to dignity.

4. Challenge false balance.

Don’t platform “both sides” on identity. Inclusion is not a debate club. It’s a commitment to equity. Don’t give hate airtime under the guise of free speech.

5. Train your teams to spot the narrative shift.

Educate people on the Overton Window and how public opinion is manufactured. Teach critical media literacy. Ask: Who benefits from this fear?

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Where Do We Go From Here?

I believe that true inclusion means holding the line even when it’s unpopular. Especially then. The Overton Window can be a tool of liberation—or of repression—depending on who moves it.

In the UK, we’ve gone from a time when trans people were barely visible to a time when we’re hyper-visible and under siege. That visibility should have been a path to empathy. Instead, it’s been weaponised into paranoia.

But here’s the truth: trans people haven’t changed. The window has.

We’re not more dangerous, more political, more divisive. We’re just more seen—and that’s threatening to systems that rely on sameness and silence.

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Final Thought: Will You Hold the Window Open?

The Overton Window is not a force of nature. It’s a choice. And as HR leaders, DEI champions, and people with influence—you are architects of that choice.

So I’ll ask you this:

Will you stand with those being pushed out of the window—or help pull them back in?

Because if we don’t challenge the narrowing of what’s acceptable, we risk building workplaces—and a society—that only makes room for the already powerful.

And I believe we are better than that.

Let’s not just ride the waves of public opinion. Let’s reshape the tide—so that equity, safety, and belonging are not radical ideas, but simply… the way things are.

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I’d Love to Hear from You

If this piece resonated with you—or challenged you—I’d really value your thoughts. Are you seeing the Overton Window shift in your own town, club, organisation or sector? How are you holding space for ideas that others still call “radical”?

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Let’s keep the conversation going—because silence is what allows the window to slide backwards.

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Until next time—keep pushing, keep stretching, and never let someone else’s discomfort set the limits on your inclusion work.

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In solidarity,

Joanne Lockwood (she/her)

The Inclusive Culture Expert

seechangehappen.co.uk | Podcast: Inclusion Bites

Creator of The Trans Inclusion Toolkit and Diagnostic and Founder of The Inclusion Bites Academy.