Hate on the ballot: Transphobia and elections

July 4, 2026

Transgender individuals worldwide face significant barriers to democratic participation as politicians increasingly weaponize transphobia during election campaigns, with anti-LGBTIQ+ messaging appearing in 51 of 61 jurisdictions examined in a 2024 global report. These obstacles include physical and verbal attacks on trans candidates, voter intimidation at polling stations, and discrimination stemming from mismatches between appearance and identity documents in countries lacking self-determination policies for gender marker changes. Anti-trans rhetoric using terms like "gender ideology" and "wokism" has become a common campaign strategy, with politicians spending millions on fearmongering advertisements and making false claims about gender-affirming care.

Who is affected

Trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse voters globally
Trans political candidates in Pakistan, Colombia, Brazil, and other countries
LGBTIQ+ advocacy groups including Outright International, Inclusive Bangladesh, and VoteLGBT
Trans youth in Uganda
Specific political figures: Ghana's presidential contenders, Colombia's president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his nonbinary child
Political parties: Republican Party (U.S.), VMRO-DPMNE (North Macedonia), AfD (Germany), Fidesz (Hungary), Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamaat-e-Islami (Pakistan), People's Party (Thailand)
Voters in countries with elections in 2024 and upcoming elections in 2026

What action is being taken

Outright International is researching electoral developments for a follow-up report to "Queering Democracy" (to be released in early 2027)
In Uganda, LGBTIQ+ advocates are organizing informal voter education, community discussions, and training for trans youth on electoral safety leading up to the 2026 general election
Republican Party members are putting anti-trans measures on the ballot in at least four U.S. states ahead of November 2026 midterm elections
In Colombia, electoral observers are documenting cases of polling officials discriminating against trans voters
VoteLGBT is monitoring and identifying transphobic comments against trans candidates in Brazil
Civil society organizations in Colombia are producing monitoring reports on discrimination against trans and nonbinary candidates

Why it matters

Trans people's exclusion from full democratic participation undermines the fundamental principle that all citizens have equal rights to vote and run for office. The weaponization of transphobia in elections has real consequences beyond campaign rhetoric—it results in physical violence (including murder), voter suppression, and systemic discrimination that forces some trans individuals to choose between exercising their democratic rights and protecting themselves from harm. When identity document policies don't allow self-determination for gender markers (the case in most countries globally), trans people face institutional barriers at polling stations that can prevent them from voting entirely. This democratic deficit matters because it weakens democracies overall and reinforces harmful social norms that police gender identity and expression, creating a cycle where political exclusion leads to continued marginalization and vulnerability for trans communities.

What's next

Follow-up report to "Queering Democracy" will be released in early 2027
Around 55 countries are sending citizens to the ballot box in 2026
State election in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany scheduled for September (2026)
U.S. midterm general election scheduled for November 2026, with anti-trans measures on the ballot in at least four states
In Thailand, legal gender recognition has made its way to the 2026 campaign platform of the People's Party

Read full article from source: Global Voices