Attendees will gather in Parliament to lobby MPS and Lords over the EHRC’s proposed “bathroom ban” guidelines
BY DIVA STAFF, IMAGE BY VLADIMIR VLADIMIROV/CANVA/GETTY
Hundreds of transgender people and their allies are set to pack Parliament’s central lobby later this month (25 June) to have their voices heard on the matter of trans lives and fight the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) proposed bathroom ban.
Organisers expect the lobby to be the largest LGBTQIA+ mass lobby of MPs since the campaign against Section 28, and the largest ever by members of the trans+ community – seeing trans people travelling to Westminster from all over the UK.
While the UK Supreme Court failed to listen to, or even include, trans voices in its recent ruling on trans rights, participants intend to be heard loud and clear.
The lobby will come shortly before the EHRC is due to close its brief consultation on implementing changes to statutory equalities guidance, proposing blanket bans of trans people from everyday spaces like toilets and changing rooms, as well as restricting women’s, men’s and LGB+ associations from being trans-inclusive.
Jude Guaitamacchi, founder of Trans+ Solidarity Alliance (they/them), said: “We are going to parliament to tell politicians that – if this bathroom ban becomes law – it will have a devastating impact on the day-to-day lives of trans and gender non-conforming people and make the UK a global outlier on LGBT+ rights.
“The EHRC’s proposals would force workers in shops and pubs to become ‘gender police’ – told to demand birth certificates from anybody that they think doesn’t fit gender stereotypes – and require major facilities changes at great expense for businesses across the country.
“Unworkable and dangerous proposals like this show exactly why the LGBT+ community has no confidence in the leadership of the EHRC, and cause permanent damage to the organisation’s credibility as a regulator.
“Politicians must act to prevent trans people like me from becoming second-class citizens and this is our chance to call for meaningful action to resolve the current human rights crisis. There is no dignity and respect in a bathroom ban, we now need real political leadership.”
Want to get involved? Find out more at transsolidarityalliance.com.
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