Every March for the last decade, Jess Phillips [1] reads out the list of women in the UK killed by men, or where a man is the principal suspect, to a nearly empty chamber in Parliament.
Almost one hundred in 2025.
Each year, I find myself asking: why?
Last year, conversations about toxic masculinity and misogyny surged, partly sparked by the TV drama Adolescence. Yet long before the headlines and social media debates I was already siting with an uncomfortable question:
Am I the problem?
It’s a difficult question to articulate, let alone answer. You see, I’m trans, specifically a trans man.
I was raised and socialised as a girl, and grew into womanhood, but then transitioned to a man in my adulthood. So, I have first had experience of the constant sexism, harassment, violence, and the many restrictions tied to being perceived as female. That includes the unwanted advances, walking home in the dark with my keys in my fist, and trying to find the quickest escape route in more than one very uncomfortable situation.
Transitioning didn’t erase that history. It didn’t dismantle the patriarchal systems shaped by sexism and outdated gender stereotypes. It didn’t somehow liberate me from the impact of those experiences. It just changed the way those systems affect me.
Every year March, as we celebrate Women's History Month and International Women's Day, prompts a reflective period for me – and trust me, I never used to be this way. Reflection and introspection are skills that need to be cultivated; they demand a certain level of patience and honesty that I never thought I had.
As a trans man, I occupy a complicated space in conversations about gender. To the outside world I’m generally read as a man (a very expressive, animated one, mind you) and with that I have a certain proximity to male privilege (and patriarchy), but I carry lived experience of misogyny in every cell of my body. My danger senses are honed with precision.
I am in the unique position to know what it is like to navigate the world as a woman and the stark differences of moving through the world as a man, and what I have learnt is that there are more similarities between marginalised groups than there are differences.
As a trans man, I have faced health barriers. I have experienced workplace discrimination. I am not immune to gender-based violence. These realities are the themes of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day and supporting women’s rights, for me, isn’t optional.
Liberation is not a limited resource.
Patriarchy harms women, and it also polices men. Rigid stereotypical gender norms constrain women and men, but they also reinforce transphobia. If violence is used to control bodies, identities and expression, then none of us are untouched by it.
So, when I reflect each March, I’m not asking whether I belong in the conversation. I’m asking what kind of man I want to be within it.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/29/i-am-weary-jess-phillips-reads-mps-list-of-women-killed-by-men-for-ninth-year
Jason Miles Summers - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-summers/
Pronouns: He / Him / His
Beyond Labels Consulting Ltd - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-labels-consulting
His breadth of experience enables him to deliver practical, actionable, and commercially aligned DEI support to organisations ready to create environments where everyone can thrive.
His goal is simple: Build empathy, humanise the experience of others, and inspire action.