In July, we published a story about the multiple challenges Covid-19 has created for trans and nonbinary people. Over the next few months we will run a short series looking at issues affecting local transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse (trans) communities, driven by people’s lived experiences. While focusing on healthcare, we hope the stories will help shed some light on what life is like for the people actually facing these issues, challenging the stigma and lack of information which often affect their public perception.

Last week, I stopped off to lend a hand with a new mural, part of an ongoing series hosted by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft on Jamaica Street. There I spoke to CJ, who designed and coordinated the mural together with a small group of trans and nonbinary people.

CJ is a creative and technical manager at PRSC, but this is a first for her: “I’ve contributed to a number of other murals in my time at the PRSC but never designed my own,” she says. Now though, she feels the time has come to speak out.

“I’ve signed petitions, written to politicians, attended marches and donated to fundraisers, but it’s still hard not to feel powerless in the face of institutional indifference,” CJ goes on. “I don’t imagine painting a wall is going to achieve much, but I’ve already heard feedback from people who simply weren’t aware of our situation.

“I think many people outside of the community have no idea just how bad it’s become; what we have to go through to access the healthcare we need. Forcing people to wait in limbo for years on end is unethical.”