Trans rights groups, trade unions and community organisations were holding an “emergency demo” outside parliament on Saturday, following a Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman.
A rally and march organised by Resisting Transphobia was also taking place in Edinburgh on Saturday, while other protests were held across England and Scotland.
The London event was described as an “emergency demo” by several supporters in social media posts.
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In a long-awaited judgment delivered on Wednesday, the UK’s highest court confirmed the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.This means transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.
The Government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers, while a Labour Party source said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had brought the party to a “common sense position” on the subject from an “activist” stance.It means that trans women cannot use single-sex female toilets, changing rooms or compete in women’s sports, according to the head of Britain’s equalities watchdog.
Police Scotland said on Friday it would review its policies on transgender issues in light of the ruling.
Among the groups supporting the London protest are Trans Kids Deserve Better, Pride in Labour, the Front for the Liberation of Intersex Non-binary and Transgender people (Flint) and TransActual.
Avery Greatorex, co-chair of Pride in Labour, told the PA news agency: “All across the country there are really scared trans people, and this ruling almost gives transphobic organisations permission to go even further, because they’ve got a legal precedent to do so.
“There isn’t really much of a choice but to keep acting and to keep protesting, so it is very possible that this does not stop until the community has the protections it needs.”
She added: “Not a single trans person or trans organisation was represented in that case, and so we weren’t given an opportunity to have a seat at the table, which is obviously a very concerning thing for our community when decisions are being made without us.“So the protest was organised to put pressure on the government, on the public to act. To be able to secure the rights of transgender people and to secure those protections, we need legislative power and we need lobbying power.”
A spokesperson for Trans Kids Deserve Better said: “The transmisogyny that led to this court ruling is unacceptable.
“Though this ruling has brought another wave of fear to the trans community, we will continue to fight for our rights and freedoms.”Speakers from across the labour movement and trans activist networks were expected to address the crowd at the London demonstration.
Following the demonstration, the Metropolitan Police said it had launched an investigation after seven statues were daubed with graffiti.
The force said its officers were in Parliament Square at the time, but did not witness the “criminal damage” take place.
“F*g rights” and a heart were painted on the banner held by suffragette Millicent Fawcett, and “trans rights are human rights” was sprayed on the pedestal bearing a memorial to South African military leader and statesman Jan Christian Smuts.No arrests have been made, but officers are investigating, Scotland Yard said.
The Edinburgh march saw demonstrators gather at the foot of the Mound before marching to the UK Government building.In an Instagram post ahead of the protest, Resisting Transphobia said the ruling was “a sham that legitimises the hate movement to force trans people out of public life, and is an attack on everyone’s freedom and autonomy”.
