Speeches were made by Kae Tempest, Ceyenne Doroshow, Qween Jean and more
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY JADE APHRODITE
London Trans+ Pride saw 150,000 people in attendance on Saturday (25 July), setting a new benchmark after last year’s 100,000-person turnout. This year marked the first time speeches were held at Trafalgar Square after the march.
This year’s theme was “Our Future, Our Fight”, bringing together the trans+ community and allies to fight for trans+ rights. Following the march, attendees were able to listen to powerful speeches at Trafalgar Square, taking place beneath Teresa Margolles’s sculpture bearing face casts of 726 trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.
Speeches were given by poet and musician Kae Tempest, G.L.I.T.S founder Ceyenne Doroshow and Qween Jean. London Trans+ Pride was also attended by celebrities like Heartstopper’s Joe Locke and Yasmin Finney, Jack Remmington, Munroe Bergdorf, Juno Roche and more.
During the march, volunteers carried the Trans Unity Quilt, a 96m patchwork made up of over 300 patches from trans people across the UK. The patches depict memorials, inside jokes and family celebrations. Its 12 panels will now be held at the Bishopsgate Archives.
Speaking about London Trans+ Pride 2026, one of the founding members, Lewis G Burton (they/she), said: “Every single person who marched today is proof that we are not going anywhere, that our joy is louder than their hate, and that London Trans+ Pride will keep fighting, keep loving, and keep growing until every trans person is safe, seen, and free.”
Kae Tempest spoke powerfully about the impact of London Trans+ Pride on stage at Trafalgar Square. “I’m so happy to be here. Over the last 15 years, throughout my transition, every time I’ve come to Trans Pride, it really is something sospecial for me. I’m so full of gratitude for being here at all, let alone having the chance to share something with you. You’re so beautiful. You’re so powerful. I’ve been in tears.”
This year’s London Trans+ Pride comes just weeks before the EHRC’s Code of Practice, which will direct service providers to exclude trans women from single sex spaces, comes into force on 5 August. The UK also now ranks 22nd out of 49 European countries on the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map.
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