Politicians have been told they’re no longer welcome at Pride events in London, Manchester [pictured], Brighton and Birmingham. The reason given by organisers is that the decision is a show of solidarity with the transgender community, being described as a ‘call for accountability and a refusal to platform those who have not protected our rights’.
‘We are united not only in message but in purpose,’ said the organisers of the major Pride celebrations. ‘At a time when trans rights in the UK are under growing attack, our resolve has never been stronger: we will not allow progress to be undone. We will not stand by as the dignity, safety and humanity of our trans siblings are debated, delayed or denied.’
They went on to say that the UK should be a beacon – ‘a global leader’ – in LGBTQ+ rights and that the recent decision by the Supreme Court to deny trans women in particular, even with gender recognition certificates, the right to use women’s spaces was unacceptable.
‘We need every political party to stand unequivocally with every member of the LGBTQ+ community and to centre the voices of trans people in policy, practice and public life,’ the organisers concluded.