Blackpool Renaissance trans support group
A long-running trans peer support group meeting twice a month at a Dickson Road guesthouse, open to trans people, partners and allies.
Trans people in Blackpool
Peer groups, the gender outreach drop-in, the Phoenix Clinic, trans-friendly stays, history and UK law.
Transgender (trans) describes people whose gender is different from, or doesn't sit comfortably with, the sex they were registered at birth. It includes trans men, trans women and many non-binary people. Being trans is about gender; it says nothing about who you are attracted to. A trans woman can be a lesbian, bi or straight, just like anyone else.
Blackpool has one of the longest-running trans support networks in the North of England, and a growing number of trans-specific services.
Peer support in Blackpool
Most of the town's trans groups meet on Tuesday evenings.
Lancashire Lads
A monthly peer support evening exclusively for trans men, held at the Horizon centre on Dickson Road.
TransInclusion
A free, monthly peer-led group in Blackpool for trans women and feminine gender-diverse people.
Transparent
A free monthly support meet-up in Blackpool for parents of trans children and trans adults.
- Renaissance has met in Blackpool for more than twenty years, on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at the Gynway guest house on Dickson Road, and offers overnight stays for people travelling in.
- Lancashire Lads is for trans men; TransInclusion is for trans women and feminine gender-diverse people.
- Transparent supports parents of trans children and trans adults.
Health care
Gender Outreach drop-in, Blackpool
A free monthly lunchtime drop-in at Blackpool Central Library for people on, waiting for or considering the gender identity clinic pathway.
The Phoenix Clinic
A monthly NHS sexual and reproductive health clinic just for trans and gender-diverse people, held in Blackpool and Preston.
- The gender outreach drop-in at Blackpool Central Library on Queen Street is free and needs no appointment. It helps anyone thinking about, waiting for or receiving NHS gender care.
- The Phoenix Clinic is an NHS sexual and reproductive health clinic only for trans and gender-diverse people, held monthly at Whitegate Health Centre.
Where to stay and go out
The mixed guest houses of the quarter welcome trans guests, and several publish anti-discrimination rules. Mardi Gras and the Molly House say they will remove anyone who discriminates. The Dragonfly on Lord Street is listed by a cross-dressing and trans travel directory as trans-friendly. See women and lesbian-friendly stays, which covers trans women and non-binary guests.
Mardi Gras
An LGBTQ+ public bar and hotel on Lord Street with three areas, cabaret, hot food, Sunday roasts and keen drink prices.
The Flying Handbag
A big, purpose-built LGBTQ+ bar and club on Queen Street, open from noon every day with drag hosts, karaoke, food and a sun terrace.
Funny Girls
Blackpool's best-known drag cabaret, staging big themed revues in a restored 1939 art deco cinema two minutes from Blackpool North.
Men-only venues set their own policies. Acqua Sauna, for example, says trans men are welcome.
Trans history in Blackpool
- 1937: Colonel Barker, who had lived as a man since 1923, appeared in a Golden Mile booth in the sideshow "On a Strange Honeymoon". London papers mocked him; Blackpool's local papers more often simply described a man and his wife. See Colonel Barker and the Golden Mile.
- Renaissance: formed more than twenty years ago with six people in a beauty salon north of Preston, the group settled in Blackpool and has met there ever since.
- 2024: Blackpool's Be You action plan includes a trans needs assessment among its health actions. See Be You.
UK law in brief
The Gender Recognition Act 2004 lets trans people change their legal sex with a Gender Recognition Certificate. The Equality Act 2010 protects anyone proposing to undergo, undergoing or having undergone gender reassignment, with or without medical treatment. In April 2025 the Supreme Court ruled that "sex" in the Equality Act means biological sex; trans people remain protected from gender reassignment discrimination. Read the detail and sources on LGBTQ+ identities and UK law.
Awareness dates
- Trans Day of Visibility: 31 March.
- Trans Day of Remembrance: 20 November, for trans people lost to violence.
More
Sources
Trans and gender identity: more pages
Trans menLancashire Lads, trans-masc support online, the Phoenix Clinic, welcoming venues and history.Trans womenTransInclusion and Renaissance, the Phoenix Clinic, trans-friendly stays and nights out.Non-binaryWhat non-binary means, local groups and clinics, unisex spaces and your rights in the UK.Gender-fluidWhat gender-fluid means, practical tips, groups that welcome you and your rights.AgenderWhat agender means, how it differs from asexual, and the groups and spaces open to you.BigenderWhat bigender means, how it differs from gender-fluid and bisexual, and who welcomes you.AndrogynousAndrogyny as identity and as style, Blackpool's gender-bending stage history, and welcoming places.Gender-nonconformingWhat gender-nonconforming means, how it differs from trans, practical tips and support.Two-SpiritWhat Two-Spirit means, where it comes from, and the Canadian MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ term.Third gender and cultural identitiesHijra, fa'afafine, muxe and more: third genders around the world, UK law, and faith and culture support.Every identityThe full list, the long acronyms and UK law.