Heather Paterson, CEO of Say It Sheffield, says the language seen used against trans people is similar to that seen in the 1980s against gay and lesbian people, and is culminating in physical attacks and abuse. “In the past few years, there has been a lot of stirring up in the media about transgender and non-binary people (people who do not identify specifically as men or women),” Ms Paterson said. “Trans people are often painted as being sexual predators and people you would not want to be in a changing room with. It is the exact same rhetoric that was used against gay people back in the 1980s.