How are you using Empathy?

I cycle four miles nearly every day, and the roads can be a brutal place for a person on a bike.

Some other users of the road treat cyclists like a genuine problem, giving us no space when they overtake us, cutting us up, and pulling out in front of us. Last time I checked, cyclists have equal rights and responsibilities as other vehicles. However, we are actually legally deemed more vulnerable, and other road users should take more care around us.

I think if angry car drivers sat in my saddle, they would change the way they treat me on the road.

What I am describing here is learned empathy. It shouldn’t take living the lives of others to understand what it feels like to be them. Yet when it comes to marginalised groups like Trans+ people, it might take you walking in our shoes to fully grasp what it feels like to be trans+ right now.

To hear politicians declare you a threat to children.

To see desperate musicians punch down on trans+ people to cling to some relevancy.

To read several news stories a week describing us as a debate that needs to be altered.

To watch lawmakers and equality commissions strip us of our vital human rights.

To always be on our guard when we’re in public, fearing for our safety.

To have no affirming legal documentation allowing us to travel.

Take a breath, and imagine this is happening to you.

How would you fare?

Could you handle it? Would you take it quietly, or would you stand up for your own rights when those who are supposed to protect you won’t? Would living in this choking environment alter your mental health?

This empathy, which I hope you already have and can pass on to others, should tell you that there is no trans+ debate. There is no issue caused by trans people. The issues lie in how we are treated, seen, and maligned by society. As we ease into 2026, I want us all to use empathy to make the world a more compassionate place for everyone, but especially for trans+ people.

So, how will you use your empathy in 2026?