Trans Pre-Conference at Pan Africa ILGA 2025

In November 2025, the African Trans Network (ATN), in partnership with Gender Dynamix (GDX), co-hosted the Trans Pre-Conference alongside the 7th Pan Africa ILGA Regional Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. Over two days, more than 60 trans activists, organisers, healthcare practitioners, legal advocates, researchers and movement leaders from across East, West, Central, North and Southern Africa came together for critical reflection, strategic dialogue and collective planning towards the future of trans
liberation on the continent.

The two-day convening took place at a decisive moment in trans organising and at the end of a uniquely challenging year for trans rights globally and locally. It was set against the backdrop of the devastating funding cuts that started 2025, escalating violence, stigma and growing political hostility. Uniting our diverse movement in strength had never felt more urgent.  

This was obvious when witnessing the full (at times almost bursting) Impala Room where we welcomed a diverse community hungry to discuss the current state of the movement and chart a future of sustainable advocacy. 

Participants from across the continent and the globe eagerly attended a jam-packed two-day programme kicked off by a heartfelt welcome by our Regional Coordinator, Akani Shimange and thoughtful keynote address by Dr Neo Musangi. In their address, Dr Musangi underscored the importance of remembering why we do what we do, where we come from and prompted the room to think deeply about what it means to be in community. In thinking towards our future, they asked how we build a movement which could be an imaginative sanctuary, plotting a vision of trans liberation on the continent through meaningful gatherings like the Trans Pre-Conference. 

The topical agenda that followed and the participatory, community-driven approach to the convening was born out the collaborative partnership between the African Trans Network (ATN) and Gender Dynamix (GDX). Together, we surveyed our community and engaged in consultations to ensure that the programme reflected the true needs and concerns of our movement. GDX brought decades of convening experience, alongside deep regional relationships, including the participation of the Southern Africa Trans Forum (SATF). They facilitated key sessions, engaged in consultation throughout the planning process, and worked closely with ATN to shape a convening that was responsive to the realities facing trans movements today. It was an honour to build alongside GDX, continuing a lineage of trans-led organising rooted in solidarity, mutual respect and collective vision.

The result was two days of expert panel discussions and presentations which addressed pressing topics such as healthcare access, cross-regional strategies for legal gender recognition, human rights violations documentation, strategies for cross-movement solidarity and frank discussions about the current funding landscape. 

What emerged were rich insights about where we are as a movement and what we can do to ensure that all trans voices are heard in discussions about our future. 

Here’s some of what we learned from the gathering: 

Our Activists are Feeling the Funding Pressure

Across sessions, participants described how funding contractions since early 2025 have forced many trans-led organisations to reduce services or shut down entirely. Safe spaces, clinics, shelters and psychosocial support programmes have disappeared in some contexts, leaving communities more exposed to violence, homelessness and mental health crises. 

A recurring concern was that smaller, grassroots organisations (who are often closest to community needs) face the greatest barriers to accessing funding due to administrative demands and donor priorities that do not centre trans-specific realities. This has intensified burnout and emotional strain among activists, while also pushing the movement to ask hard questions about sustainability beyond donor dependency.  

Our activists are doing this difficult, life-saving work while also navigating the uncertainty and instability of the funding required to support it. Delegates reflected on the emotional labour carried by activists who continue to provide essential support despite the instability of their organisations, leading to mental health repercussions and increased risk for burnout.  

In response, delegates collectively committed to establishing mentorship and learning opportunities to support grant writing and donor engagement, as well as pursuing cross-country collaboration to negotiate donor relationships collectively. Delegates also underscored the importance of exploring diversified funding channels and collective strengthening of financial, monitoring and evaluation and administrative capacities.  

Lack of Affirming Healthcare and Legal Gender Recognition is a Human Rights Crisis 

Across the convening, it became clear that access to gender-affirming healthcare and legal gender recognition cannot be separated: both are deeply intertwined, and both remain out of reach for many trans people across the continent. Participants spoke powerfully about the erosion of already limited healthcare services, with clinic closures, hormone shortages and a lack of trained providers forcing many trans people to self-medicate or go without care entirely. These disruptions have devastating mental health impacts, with interruptions to gender-affirming care directly linked to heightened anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.

“Without hormones, my transition stands still and that affects my mental health.” 

Advocate from Kenya

These harms are compounded by the absence of legal gender recognition in most African countries. Participants highlighted how mismatched identity documents expose trans people to stigma, violence and denial of care at healthcare facilities, making even basic services unsafe or inaccessible. Legal frameworks that require invasive medical procedures, psychiatric evaluations or other gatekeeping measures before recognising a person’s gender were widely criticised as violations of autonomy and dignity. As contributors including Bronnie Ivy from TACEF emphasised, legal gender recognition shapes access not only to healthcare, but to education, employment, safety and social inclusion more broadly. 

Discussions underscored the urgent need for simplified, inclusive legal gender recognition processes grounded in self-identification, with explicit recognition of non-binary and gender-diverse identities. Participants stressed that healthcare barriers and restrictive legal frameworks are not technical failures, but systemic human rights violations that place trans lives at risk.  

Commitments emerging from the sessions included expanding peer-led mental health support, building partnerships with private healthcare providers, strengthening referral pathways for hormone therapy and HIV services, mapping trans-friendly services regionally, and advancing coordinated advocacy for inclusive legal gender recognition. There was also strong consensus on the need for policy reform, stakeholder training and regional advocacy initiatives with partners such as UNDP expressing willingness to support capacity building and institutional reform. 

The message across regions was unmistakable: access to gender-affirming healthcare, legal recognition and mental wellbeing are inseparable. Securing them must remain a core priority for the movement. 

Accessibility and Inclusion are Not Luxuries  

When we create spaces that have structural barriers to inclusion for certain participants, we not only rob them of the right to participate in the shaping of the movement, we also rob the movement of the valuable contributions they bring to our shared future. A commitment to inclusivity and addressing the significant structural inequalities that prevent the participation of all delegates regardless of languageor disability requires increased funding and logistics, yes. But a truly united pan-African trans movement cannot exist without it! Which is why language justice and accessibility for delegates with disabilities was a core focus throughout the planning of the gathering. 
 
This commitment to a convening that was truly rooted in belonging was realised through the creation of multilingual convening materials like agendas, signage and even stickers and badges which were given out to delegates, as well as live interpretation services for English, French, Portuguese and KiSwahili. 

It was also actioned through the provision of ear plugs for folks with sensory support needs and the mindful colouring station we set up for those of us who focus better when we can do something creative with our hands. But we know that we still have a way to go to ensure that our siblings who use wheelchairs or live with other physical disabilities can move through these spaces with independence and dignity.  

Inclusive movement building is a big task, but we wanted to approach it as an opportunity to foreground joy and care, celebrating our diversity and fostering honest, imaginative environments for charting the future of our movement.  

Our People Are Our Greatest Assets 

Despite the challenges named, the Pre-Conference was not defined by despair. Participants articulated new possibilities: alternative funding models, continental mentorship networks, shared advocacy strategies, and deeper collaboration across movements and regions, once again demonstrating the wealth of innovation and expertise of trans Africans.  

“Even when we don’t have the funding, we continue to do the work because we are the ones facing the problems. We believe in our activism and we believe that we are the ones who are going to make the change.”

Panelist from Morocco

We saw time and time again the importance of regional solidarity, cross-movement collaboration and collective care in this work. We are stronger together, and this time together reinforced that no organisation or country can navigate the current moment alone — especially in the face of transnational anti-gender movements. 

Despite the challenges named, the Pre-Conference was not defined by despair. Participants articulated new possibilities: alternative funding models, continental mentorship networks, shared advocacy strategies, and deeper collaboration across movements and regions, once again demonstrating the wealth of innovation and expertise of trans Africans.  

It was crucial to acknowledge that trans survival and leadership in Africa continues to thrive despite hostile conditions- powered by the everyday resilience, creativity, and commitment of trans-led collectives working across the continent. Through frank conversations about our challenges, the sharing of our victories and lessons, and a little bit of the magic of coming together in person, the Trans Pre-Conference demonstrated that despite the challenges, our African trans movement truly embodies the Pan Africa ILGA’s 2025 theme of ‘Unbreakable’. 

Thank you to every trans and allied delegate and speaker who trusted us with stewardship of this space. It would not have been the success that it was without your generosity and dedication to creating a safe space where we could show up as we are and speak honestly about our experiences. And, of course, this convening would not have been possible without the support of our funders and partners, who recognise the importance of trans-led movement building on the continent.  

To our Steering Committee, ATN secretariat and the team at Gender Dynamix, your hard work and dedication throughout the planning and the convening itself was evident in what we created. Thank you!  

And last, but most certainly not least, thank you to the incredible team at Pan Africa ILGA for allowing us to be a part of this gathering. We see your hard work and truly appreciate the care with which you hosted us.  

Have your say 
We welcome any feedback or suggestions for how we can make our future convenings more inclusive, accessible and meaningful. We invite you to email your thoughts to our Programmes Officer, Brandy Akoth at brandy@africantransnetwork.org.