“We march to remind our siblings that they are not alone”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY AJ STETSON
London Trans+ Pride has announced this year’s powerful theme – Existence & Resistance – to mark the seventh annual protest. Taking place on 26 July, London Trans+ Pride will once again be a place for solidarity, protest and visibility – something we need now more than ever.
Following the monumental protest last year, which saw 60,000 people join London Trans+ Pride, this year has already seen support from the likes of Jeremy Corbyn, Jessie Ware, Munroe Bergdorf, Jameela Jamil and Eddie Suzy Izzard.
Following the recent UK Supreme Court ruling, which defined the term “woman” as referring to biological sex in the Equality Act 2010, protests like London Trans+ Pride are needed more than ever. In the face of increasing hostility towards trans+ people, it is vital that the entire LGBTQIA community stands with the trans community at such a pivotal moment.
Founding member of London Trans+ Pride, Lewis G. Burton (they/them), said: “This year’s Supreme Court ruling has caused confusion, grief, and real harm – not just for trans people in the UK, but for our communities globally. The judgement erases the realities of intersex people, ignores the lived experience of trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people, and reinforces the idea that only a narrow, outdated definition of womanhood deserves legal protection.”
They continued: “This year’s theme is Existence and Resistance because every day we live our lives with dignity and joy is an act of protest. We march to remind our siblings that they are not alone — that despite the cruelty of this government and the noise of a few hundred bigots, we are still here. We are a natural, eternal part of humanity. You cannot legislate us out of existence. We don’t want special treatment — we want to live in peace, to love freely, to build our futures without fear. That is not too much to ask.”
This year’s London Trans+ Pride is demanding a total ban on all forms of so-called conversion “therapy”, calling the UK government to adhere to the promise they made in 2018. London Trans+ Pride are also demanding that trans people can have access to fully funded gender-affirming care, shorter waiting times and GPs empowered to the community’s health.
Other demands include calls for legal reform such as allowing trans people to marry without a gender recognition certificate and legally recognising non-binary people. This year’s march also acts as a response to global fascism, asking the media to take responsibility for its role in spreading hate and misinformation about the trans+ community.
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