A community under direct attack

In recent years Pride has become pink washed with corporate sponsorship and big business patting themselves on the back for not actually supporting the LGBTQIA plus community. From banks draped in Pride flags to the LGBT sandwich, it felt like being queer was becoming a commodity for capitalist interests rather than just part of a person's self and identity. With the legalisation of gay marriage and falling homophobic hate crimes (even the Daily Mail publishing gay positive articles), the community had something to celebrate.

All accept the trans community, whom had been largely forgotten about and neglected in the gay fanfare of Pride month.

Sadly it's not a party for trans people in the UK. Their rights and existence are debated daily by those who have probably not even met a trans person. Trans people are increasingly excluded from public life and further ostracised from conversations.

With trans suicides increasing year on year and a trans hostile healthcare system, it has left trans people feeling a loss of hope, frustrated and left out of the gay parade.

Action Not Words

Trans people need action, not more empty words and promises of trans healthcare reforms and a trans inclusive conversion therapy ban. They need to be listened to and have their voices shared to the masses.

Instead we have anti-trans voices being amplified daily in the mainstream press. Voices that dehumanise trans people and spread malicious lies about who trans people are.

Trans people desperately need allies to challenge the anti-trans narratives. Narratives that hurt not only trans people but women and other minority groups.

Anti-trans groups spin harmful narratives daily, when they should be focusing on real issues like domestic violence and unpaid labour.

The trans community needs to see allies lobby parliaments for greater trans legal protections, so they can't be excluded and shut out of society because anti-trans people don't like them.

They need allies to demand that the mainstream press stop platforming anti-trans groups and to stop misrepresenting these groups as “women's rights campaigners”.

The groups hurt and regress women's hard won rights, by robbing them of their bodily autonomy.

Above all else, trans people need allies to be louder and bolder in their support of trans people. 

Trans Pride is a fight for trans existence

Trans people are fighting just to exist right now in the UK. Trans people are fearful. They fear further attacks and curbs on their rights and freedoms.

Nobody chooses to be trans. Why would they? They face such severe persecution. Being trans is not a choice, but being a transphobe is.

Trans Pride is a protest because trans people are human and demand to be treated as human.