A trans-led organisation, not a charity#
TransgenderNI describes itself as a human rights and community organisation for trans and gender-diverse people in Northern Ireland. It is trans-led, and works through community building, campaigns for social and administrative change, and work with government and the community sector. Legally it is a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee, incorporated in 2018, rather than a registered charity. Companies House's record, read today, lists it as active with some filings overdue, and parts of its site date from 2024, so check that a service is running before you travel.
The Belfast Trans Resource Centre#
Its best-known work is the Belfast Trans Resource Centre, which it runs and funds. Opened in November 2016, it calls itself the first and only trans community space in the UK and Ireland. It is a community hub for trans, non-binary and questioning people and their families and friends in the Belfast area, open to anyone, "whether you've been out for years or have just started questioning". The centre hosts support groups, regular open days on Wednesdays and Saturdays, gaming days and social events, and the venue is step-free.
Contacting it#
The contact page says it is focusing on supporting trans communities locally, and taking a limited break from most work with employers, service providers and policy. If you need support as a trans person, or are supporting someone, you can email or use the form there; it is also on social media. In an emergency it says to call 999, and it keeps a page of urgent mental health contacts.
Where it points people#
Its home page is largely a map of support in Northern Ireland:
- The Rainbow Project for free counselling, and monthly sexual health screening for trans people at the centre.
- Cara-Friend for LGBTQ+ youth services across Northern Ireland.
- Mermaids, which now works in Northern Ireland, for families of trans young people.
- Health services: the Brackenburn Clinic for adults aged 18 and over, by referral from a GP or mental health professional, and Knowing Our Identity for under-18s, through CAMHS.
Changing your name in Northern Ireland#
TransgenderNI has no name change guide of its own. Its resources page sends readers to UK Trans Info, and links Cara-Friend's guide for trans young people at school or college. For the routes themselves:
- A deed poll. GOV.UK's free wording can be used by anyone 16 or older, and no diagnosis or medical letter is involved.
- A GRONI record. The General Register Office keeps its own record of name changes for people whose birth or adoption was registered in Northern Ireland; our Northern Ireland page weighs it against a deed poll, with costs.
- A Gender Recognition Certificate is separate and changes your legal gender; Deed poll or Gender Recognition Certificate? explains the difference.
The Rainbow Project publishes its own page on Northern Ireland name changes, and Cara-Friend works with young people.
This page describes what TransgenderNI publishes on its own websites, read on 26 October 2026. TransgenderNI has not reviewed it, and including an organisation here does not mean it recommends this handbook or any deed poll service.
