This demonstration came after NHS England’s decision to pause the prescribing of gender affirming hormones for 16 and 17-year-olds
BY DIVA STAFF, IMAGES BY TARUNISMS
Yesterday (25 March), LGBTQIA+ activists shut down NHS England HQ to protest recent restrictions on access to gender affirming care for trans+ people.
Over 20 activists staged a “die-in” in the entrance to the building, lying down with placard gravestones that contained slogans such as “Labour Lies, Kids Die” and “Failed by Wes Streeting”. This action was sparked by the NHS England’s decision to pause the prescribing of gender affirming hormones for 16 and 17-year-olds. The group also had a banner that read: “Silence = Death. HRT Saves Lives.”
This demonstration was led by The Dyke Project, who were joined by members of ACT UP London and the activist group Trans Kids Deserve Better. Access to the building was stopped for 48 minutes to represent the percentage of trans people who have attempted suicide.
Leslie Lorde, a spokesperson for The Dyke Project, said: “This decision by NHS England is the final nail in the coffin of trans healthcare for young people. Hundreds of trans young people will be forced to pay for private care or detransition against their will. HRT is life-saving care and is already prescribed to non-trans young people when needed.”
“This decision is based on Wes Streeting’s scapegoating of trans people for his own political ambition. The attack on access to care for young trans people is part of a broader assault on public healthcare by the government, which is pushing austerity and privatisation at the expense of our collective wellbeing.”
Earlier this month, NHS England announced that it was also going to conduct an “evidence review” into HRT for trans adults.
A spokesperson from Trans Kids Deserve Better said: “I’m doing this action because I have had to witness NHS England’s backwards policies on trans healthcare almost kill far, far too many of my trans siblings. Trans kids should not have to pick up the slack of your carelessness. I will not stand by and watch trans children lose all hope because of a government that doesn’t care if they live or die. I will honour our martyrs and our siblings, who still sacrifice far too much every day.”
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