This Pride Month, we wanted to shine a light on our legal, human and healthcare rights work specifically with LGBT+ prisoners.
Approximately 6% of men and 30% of women currently identify as gay/lesbian or bisexual (Prison Reform Trust, February 2026). As of March 2025, nine people in prison had a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) and 339 transgender prisoners did not have a GRC. Of these, 247 identified as trans women and 64 as trans men; 18 identified as non-binary and 10 self-identified in a different way or their identified gender was unrecorded or not
stated.
LGBT+ prisoners in England and Wales often face heightened vulnerability in custody.
Many report harassment, isolation, and fear of disclosure, alongside inconsistent access to rightful healthcare and mental health support. Trans prisoners may experience inappropriate placement, delays in gender-affirming care, and barriers to personal safety measures. Despite national policies promoting equality, implementation varies widely between prisons and effective support is dependent upon access to trained and sympathetic staff, confidential reporting routes, access to peer networks, and consistent application of safeguarding measures.
PAS can advise and represent LGBT+ prisoners when these networks are threatened or absent, helping them to serve their sentences with dignity, safety and equal treatment. PAS also publishes two guides – A Prisoners’ Guide to LGB Rights and Trans Rights – which each include advice and information regarding sexual exploitation, bullying and abuse, discrimination, segregation, searches and access to healthcare.
In 2025-26, 5% of callers to our Advice Line, 19% of letter-writers and 12% of outreach attendees did not identify as heterosexual. 1% of callers and 4% of letter-writers stated that their gender identity was different to that assigned at birth.
For more information, click here.