“The current situation for trans people is dangerous and unacceptable, and the government must fix it”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY DAVE BIRD
Yesterday (9 Sep), hundreds of trans people and allies took part in a mass lobby to urge the government to protect trans rights.
Unlike a traditional protest, a mass lobby is when people join together inside Parliament to speak to their MPs at the same time. At this mass lobby, many shared stories of the harm caused by the Supreme Court judgment and subsequent EHRC guidance. Others wrote messages in a giant card to Andy Burnham which read “Farewell to Britain’s standing on LGBTQ+ rights”.
Trans+ Solidarity Alliance advocacy lead, Alfie Bailey-Bearfield, said: “Hundreds of us have turned up in Parliament today with a clear message for the Burnham government: the current situation for trans people is dangerous and unacceptable, and the government must fix it.”
Labour MP Nadia Whittome backed the lobby’s call for action. “The current situation is preventing trans people from being able to live their lives with dignity and putting them at risk of harassment,” she said. “It is vital that Parliamentarians listen to the experiences of their trans constituents and those who care about them, so I’m thrilled that hundreds of people have come to Parliament today to make their voices heard.”
Brought in on 5 August, the updated EHRC code states that single-sex spaces, such as toilets and changing rooms, must be used based on biological sex. Last year, over 650 UK businesses and non-profits signed a letter to the ministers for Business and Equalities to express concern over the proposed guidance, calling it “unworkable”.
Official figures for yesterday’s mass lobby are yet to be determined.
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