Rural Trans Alliance CIC is pleased to announce From Experience to Evidence: Co-producing Knowledge on Rural Trans Lives, a symposium taking place in March 2027 bringing together people with lived experience, academics and researchers, community organisations, policymakers and public-sector professionals to explore the future of research, policy and practice concerning trans people in rural communities.
The symposium is being developed by Rural Trans Alliance CIC in collaboration with Buckinghamshire New University Library and is expected to welcome around 150 participants from across the UK.
Rural trans experiences remain significantly underrepresented within research, policymaking and mainstream LGBT+ provision. From Experience to Evidence aims to create a dedicated space in which different forms of knowledge can meet: academic research alongside lived experience, grassroots community expertise alongside policy and professional practice.
The symposium will explore the particular opportunities and challenges associated with trans life in rural, remote and semi-rural communities, while encouraging new connections between researchers, community organisations, policymakers, public services and people with direct lived experience.
For Rural Trans Alliance CIC, the symposium represents an important next stage in our work. Alongside community support, practical resources and advocacy, we want to help strengthen the evidence base around rural trans lives and ensure that the people most affected are meaningfully involved in conversations about the research, policies and services that concern them.