This Case Study was produced in collaboration with a real Blossom LGBT mentee. For their privacy, we have changed their name and some of their details.

Content Warnings: Transphobia, Abuse, Self Neglect, and Poverty.

“When I started my first job, I was so excited to begin my adult life, it felt like a brand new chapter. Having come out as trans at school, I was eager to start being myself in an adult world, no one knew my dead name, no one knew my past – they’d simply know me. But that excitement quickly turned into fear,” A shares, reflecting on her experience as a young trans woman in the workplace. “One of my colleagues started targeting me, it started with remarks like calling me a ‘lady boy’, before escalating to gestures like pretending to grope me, then it all came to a head when the colleague physically blocked me from entering the bathroom and shoved me onto the ground when I asked him to move. I was assaulted while trying to access the toilet that I had used every single day before with no problem. I reported it to my line, but she didn’t take me seriously, she told me that the colleague was just having a bit of fun and that I should lighten up. It felt like they were more concerned with protecting the company than protecting me.”

The trauma of the assault, combined with the lack of support from work, began to take its toll. “I started getting anxiety attacks every time I had to go to work. Just walking through the door made my chest tighten. When I would think about work, I’d get a sinking feeling and it was as if the world begun spinning around me. Eventually, my doctor signed me off work with anxiety because I couldn’t cope anymore,” A explains.

After returning to work, things didn’t improve. The same colleague continued their abusive behaviour, and A felt trapped in a toxic environment. “I couldn’t see a way out. I felt unsafe, unsupported, and invisible,” she recalls. “I had to make the heartbreaking decision to leave. It wasn’t just my job I lost—I lost my stability and my independence.”

Out of work and relying on Universal Credit, A found herself facing impossible choices. “I was constantly deciding between heating my home or buying food. Some days, I just went without. I developed depression and I just stopped taking care of myself. I was stuck in bed. I couldn’t bring myself to shower, to brush my teeth, or to even go to the shops. Whilst in this state my gender dysphoria became worse than ever before and I began to worry about my safety” A eventually made the decision to move back in with her parents, sleeping on their sofa. “After weeks of struggling, I had to move back home because I couldn’t afford to stay in my flat. My parents had downsized since I left home but they lovingly converted their living room into a bedroom for me. Despite their support, it felt like everything was falling apart.”

That’s when A discovered Blossom’s mentoring scheme. “One day I woke up and decided that I wanted a change. I felt like I had become the victim in my own life but I had worked so hard to become who I truly am that throwing it all away felt wrong. Later that day I found Blossom LGBT and made the decision to reach out. From the moment I met my Blossom LGBT contact, it felt like someone finally understood and cared about what I was going through,” after completing the initial stages of th mentoring programme, A was connected to a sector mentor, A says. “My mentor was incredible. She helped me start rebuilding my confidence and taught me skills to navigate the workplace. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had hope.”

Over the next few months, A worked closely with her mentor, gaining tools and strategies to prepare for re-entering the workforce. “Blossom didn’t just help me get back on my feet—they helped me believe in myself again,” A shares.

Today, A is thriving in a full-time role with a supportive employer who values her for who she is. “I understand my rights now, and I know what a good HR policy should look like. I have to wonder what might have happened if I understood what I should have expected from an employer in my previous job. I know one thing, I won’t settle for less again,” she says confidently.

A is also planning for her future, with her sights set on regaining her independence. “I’m saving for the deposit on a new flat. It feels amazing to think about moving back out on my own, but this time, I know I can handle whatever comes my way,” she smiles.

“Blossom’s support has been life-changing. Without them, I don’t know where I’d be today. They gave me the tools, the confidence, and the hope I needed to rebuild my life.”