Rory Finn attended Trans Pride London, which took place on Saturday, June 26. Here he tells us why this Pride is not a parade, but a protest.
Trans Pride march through London is the first march for many since lockdown restrictions meant Pride celebrations had to be cancelled. But this Pride is not a parade, it’s a protest. The route from Wellington Arch took the large ensembled crowd along Piccadilly into Soho. The thousands of marchers filled the streets and came from all sections of the LGBTQ+ community. Marching alongside their trans and non-binary siblings were cisgender allies; LGB with the T.
The march ended at Soho Square. For more than an hour, trans activists, community leaders and celebrities took it in turns to take to the microphone to address the crowd. Roars of applause and agreement met RuPaul’s Drag Race runner up Bimini Bon Boulash, who has gone on to be a shining light about non-binary identities since their appearance on the show.
Joining them was poet Kae Tempest and singer Mzz Kimberley who performed to the appreciative crowd. Speeches came from model and activist Monroe Bergdorf and Youtuber Abigail Thorn, who told the crowd: “Being trans is a gift. There is power in this.” The atmosphere in Soho Square was joyful. One marcher, Ellis from London, explained why they were there:
“Protesting and marching, and being seen and heard, is a vital part of the activism work that needs to be done to combat the transphobia in the mainstream media and government. Also to show solidarity with trans people globally, especially to trans people of colour. It’s also a bit of a hug to be with other trans and gender diverse people and queer people.”
“TO REPRESENT AND BE PROUD. TO BE HERE TO BE PRESENT AND COME TOGETHER. TO BE VISIBLE AND PROTEST OUR RIGHTS. THIS PAST YEAR, WITH COVID AND THE STUFF HAPPENING WITH TRANS RIGHTS, WE’VE NOT BEEN VISIBLE IN PUBLIC. TRANSPHOBIA IS ON THE RISE. WE WANT TO PROTEST OUR RIGHTS AND BE SEEN. YOU CAN’T IGNORE US. PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES FOR BEING TRANS”
EMILY
“I REALLY SHOULDN’T HAVE TO BE HERE BUT APPARENTLY, I DO. HOPEFULLY IN A FEW YEARS‘ TIME WE WON’T NEED THIS SHIT ANYMORE”
JENNY
“I'M HERE TO SUPPORT TRANS PEOPLE, NON-BINARY and EVERYBODY UNDER THE TRANS UMBRELLA WHO ARE FEELING ISOLATED AND DESPONDENT. WE‘RE CALLING FOR AN END TO CONVERSION THERAPY AND MEANINGFUL REFORM OF THE GENDER RECOGNITION ACT”
LEGIA
“WE’RE HERE TO SUPPORT MY SISTER. WE BELIEVE JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS DIFFERENT THEY HAVE TO BE RESPECTED AS MUCH AN ANYONE ELSE”
RAY AND CELYN
“WE LIVE IN FOLKESTONE BUT IT’S HARD TO FIND MANY TRANS PEOPLE TO BE AROUND. IT BRINGS ME A LOT OF JOY TO BE NEAR OTHER TRANS PEOPLE SO IT FEELS IMPORTANT TO COME. TRANS RIGHTS! IT‘S GOOD TO BE AROUND PEOPLE AFTER A LOCKDOWN”
ADAM AND REBAB
“I AM A TRANS MAN, I CAME FROM KUWAIT, WE’RE NOT ALLOWED TO TRANSITION THERE. I CAME TO THE UK TO HAVE MY FREEDOM AND LIVE MY LIFE AS TRANSGENDER” – ADAM
“I SUPPORT HIM, I AM HIS PARTNER. I WANT HIM TO LIVE AS HE WANTS. I SUPPORT HIM AS A MAN” – REBAB
