LGBTQIA people and allies have come out in thousands to reject the new definition of a “woman”
BY LORENA CRISTEA, IMAGE BY GETTY
Thousands of LGBTQIA people and allies took to London in an “emergency” protest this Saturday (April 19), called by organisers to rally in solidarity with the trans community.
The general outcry came as a response after the Supreme Court ruled in a landmark case on 16 April that the legal definition of the terms “woman” and “sex” refer to biological women and biological sex in the Equality Act 2010.
Protesters gathered in nearly 30 cities across the country over the weekend, including Cardiff, Manchester, and Brighton, with activists waving placards saying “Trans Liberation” and “Trans Rights Now”.
Co-leader of the Green Party Carla Denyer attended the Bristol trans rights demo and delivered a heartbreaking speech about the importance of trans rights.
“I am a queer, cis woman, and I know there is no LGB without the T. But I’m here not even really as a queer woman or as an MP. I’m here because I believe that trans rights are human rights. And this is a really important time to stand up and say that loud and clear,” Carla said.
People protesting also worried that the ruling could fuel further judgements, putting trans and non-binary people at risk of being harassed. The British Transport Police announced that, from now on, any trans women held in custody by the BTP could be strip-searched by male officers rather than female.
Experts warn about decisions like this following the ruling, saying this might have wide-ranging repercussions for the trans and non-binary community. Stonewall CEO Simon Blake stated that the ruling “will be incredibly worrying for the trans community.”
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