An estimated 150,000 people marched through central London on Saturday in what organisers described as the world’s largest trans pride event, voicing fury at new guidance on single-sex spaces and demanding Prime Minister Andy Burnham make a tangible difference to the lives of transgender people.
The procession set off near the BBC’s London headquarters under baking heat, with placards reading “let people p*** in peace”, “marching for all my trans siblings past and present” and “these meds save lives”. The anger was directed at the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s updated guidance on single-sex spaces, which protesters said risked excluding trans people from society.
“150,000 march in London for world's largest trans pride, demanding PM Andy Burnham act on trans rights”
It was the first time the march ended at Trafalgar Square, where crowds spilled onto the steps and fountain walls to listen to speeches, overlooked by artist Teresa Margolles’s sculpture of face casts taken from 726 trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals. “Every single person who marched today is proof that we are not going anywhere,” said Lewis G Burton, a founding member of London Trans+ Pride. “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.”
Among those speaking before the march was Caroline Litman, mother of 20-year-old Alice Litman who took her own life in May 2022 after spending 1,023 days waiting for gender-affirming care. A former NHS psychiatrist, Litman said the situation for trans people had deteriorated since her daughter’s death, despite the family going public with her inquest to highlight the “terrible wait lists”. “Things have got so much worse,” she said. “I feel like we have failed in our aims and it’s really, really disappointing.” She cited the new EHRC guidance and changes to the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance as “Section 28 mark two”, warning that “more children are going to die” unless Burnham works to reverse the “anti-trans policies” overseen by Sir Keir Starmer.
Organisers put the turnout at 150,000, making it the largest trans pride march in the world. The rally’s choice of Trafalgar Square, said Burton, placed it “right in the heart of this city that belongs to us as much as anyone”. Whether Burnham, who succeeded Starmer as prime minister, will heed the calls remains to be seen.