Ben Pechey
23 October 2025
9:00 am
Session summary
Trans people are facing an unprecedented amount of abuse, attention, and acrimony. The harm this is causing is not yet fully known, yet the community has had to shelve progress in order to prioritise survival. In our current system - a dystopian version of our lives - trans people have become a political punchbag, a byword for everything woke, something society has been conditioned to hate. Yet this is nothing new, it is a timeline we have seen play out time and time again. Why are trans people so often the face of hatred and dismissal? Trans people are not the reason that the economy is in a poor position. Trans people are not a danger to society. Trans people are not an issue, full stop. This presentation will show the ways transphobia is a cyclical event born out of fear, distraction, and eugenic ideology. Combining historical examples of transphobia, the ripple effect this caused, the surprising unified response, and show this is a cycle we should be aiming to disrupt and brealso aims to highlight that the struggle of trans people does not need to be just a burden for trans people. Highlighting the observation of the course of history, inaction will lead to further devastation for all marginalised folks, as in 2025 progress is not a linear thing. This presentation aims to cut through this noise and create a clear pathway. Building on a climate of misinformation, trans panic, political hostility, and fake news, this presentation will move the needle in favour of trans people. By utilising allyship & empathy, and connecting it with trans history, this presentation will create much-needed counter perspectives.
Biography
Ben Pechey is a non-binary writer, presenter, content creator, TEDx Speaker LGBTQIA advocate, diversity & inclusion consultant and author. They have written and produced content for The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, Refinery 29 and Diva Magazine. They have worked with major brands such as Manolo Blahnik, Condé Nast, Dr. Martens, The NSPCC, Virgin Atlantic and many more to educate and improve awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community. They are the author of ‘The Book of Non-Binary Joy’, and soon to be published ‘Your Gender Book’. They are also an ambassador for Diversity Role Models. Ben is a TEDx speaker, their talk focused on ensuring trans and non-binary people can find joy every day. They bring you weekly posts discussing body positivity, gender, activism, climate change and everything else between. By no means an expert, they aim to bring you their opinion that has been honed through experiences and collective wisdom.
