The mountain was depicted on a piece of cardboard as a backdrop for a comedy show during the Leicester Comedy Festival. It symbolized the daily struggles of transgender individuals in Britain, who face continual attacks akin to climbing a hill. Despite the challenging premise, the performer, Ives, assured that she was well-equipped to tackle the subject as a transgender person herself. Although transgender individuals are more visible in British culture, opposition to their rights has also increased, particularly in mainstream news and social media. In stand-up comedy, which reflects societal concerns, transgender issues are often trivialized or used as punchlines. During a recent phone interview, Jen Ives, a trans comedian, discussed the pressure she sometimes feels to represent the entire transgender community while performing on stage, rather than just focusing on telling jokes. In contrast to the United States, where transgender issues are often divided along political lines, in Britain, voices from both the left and right have expressed concerns about allowing transgender women to use bathrooms according to their gender identity. JK Rowling, the famous author of the "Harry Potter" series, is one of the most well-known figures in Britain to make such claims, leading to accusations of transphobia from many, including her own fans. In a 2018 study from UCLA, concerns about safety and privacy regarding transgender rights were found to be unfounded. Dan Healey, an academic at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Gender, Identity, and Subjectivity, explained in a telephone interview that the debate surrounding transgender rights in Britain is more prominent compared to the United States. He mentioned that the discussion in Britain involves feminists who either acknowledge trans women as women or those who do not. British comedian Jen Ives expressed that trans individuals feel their humanity is being questioned by feminists who do not accept them, describing it as one of the negative aspects of the current state of trans issues in the UK. Ives, 30, expressed that people often see transgender individuals not as individuals, but as a topic of debate or a passing trend. She has been discussing her experience as a transgender person in her stand-up comedy since 2017, and audiences have appreciated her openness. Her show, "Peak Trans," was inspired by the negative atmosphere towards transgender individuals in Britain. Ives believes that making people laugh may not change their opinions, but it does humanize the transgender experience. Even when addressing serious issues, Ives always includes humor in her performances. She mentioned that being transgender is not the only aspect of her identity, also revealing that she is a vegetarian. Despite wanting to go vegan over Christmas, she felt she had already caused her dad enough stress as a trans woman. Trans comedians have been a staple on British stages for many years, with Eddie Izzard making headlines in December for expressing her desire to use she/her pronouns and present in girl mode. Debra-Jane Appleby and Bethany Black, both trans stand-up comedians, have also had successful careers in the British comedy scene. Black once mentioned in an interview that people mostly do not care about her being trans, a sentiment she laughed about in a recent video interview. "Yeah, that has changed slightly," she mentioned. Earlier, individuals believed there were only about 10 or 15 transsexuals globally," she stated. "Now, the perception is that they are widespread and attempting to participate in sports!" Although she makes jokes about transphobia while performing, Black mentioned that the discussion regarding trans individuals in Britain has had a negative impact on her. "A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with agoraphobia, and a significant portion of that is due to constantly feeling like I'm in this ongoing battle," she stated. Black also expressed frustration with comedians and TV shows that resort to making unoriginal jokes about transgender individuals. These jokes had become a common element in the routines of some well-known comedians, leading James Acaster to parody this trend in a 2019 performance. However, many comedians refrained from making these jokes when performing alongside her, according to Black. Despite claiming to support free speech, many of them chose not to make these jokes in her presence. One comedian who did make such jokes was Adam Rowe, who has a routine where he criticizes lingerie company Victoria's Secret for not featuring transgender or plus-size models in its shows. In a photo taken remotely, British comedian Bethany Black is pictured on February 25, 2021. Black expressed that being transgender is a daily reality for her, not just a theoretical concept. She noted that many British comedians joke about trans people, but they tend to avoid these jokes when she is also performing. In an undated photo taken remotely, British comedian Bethany Black discussed her experience of being transgender and the jokes made by other British comedians about trans people. She also mentioned that Victoria's Secret recently cast a trans model. Rowe defended the joke in an email. He stated that the routine is not transphobic and was actually designed to trick people who are not paying attention into thinking that it is. He mentioned that individuals often focus too much on certain words. Ives noted that she has seen non-trans comedians perform trans material, which can be funny. She stated that she can laugh at herself but sometimes feels like the jokes are just mean-spirited. Ives mentioned instances in her career where she had to follow male comedians who made jokes about transgender women, and she would usually mock them in response. However, she believes that this is just making the best of a bad situation. "I prefer not to." During her most recent performance, Ives gradually guided her audience towards the metaphorical Peak Trans, pausing along the way to poke fun at transgender individuals in sports and her own experience coming out. However, as they neared the summit, a particular topic came into focus. Apologetically, Ives announced, "We're going to discuss JK Rowling." She started off by joking about Rowling's latest book "Troubled Blood," which includes a male murderer who poses as a woman. Ives expressed her desire to be an advocate and address the issue, but noted the daunting length of the book at 1,000 pages. Ives said that Rowling wanted individuals like her to avoid using women's spaces and instead use men's toilets. She then compared trans women to spiders, noting that they are often more afraid of others than others are of them.