Hundreds gather outside UK Parliament to protest proposed guidelines that would restrict access to certain single-sex spaces
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Hundreds of trans people and allies gathered outside the UK Parliament on Wednesday to protest proposed guidelines that would restrict access to certain single-sex spaces.
Waving trans pride flags in the summer heat, demonstrators queued to enter Parliament, hoping to speak with or leave messages for their MPs. The protest was organised in response to interim guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which would bar trans women from accessing female-only facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, and some hospital wards.
Jade Lopez, 27, who travelled from Manchester, expressed concern over the exclusion of trans voices from policymaking. “We’ve been facing a lot of hate and isolation,” she said. “My partner, who is also trans, needs frequent hospital care, and I worry because nurses often don’t know where to place trans patients.”
The protest follows an April ruling by the UK Supreme Court affirming that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. The EHRC’s subsequent guidance extends this interpretation, affecting access to women-only clubs, sports, and services.
The Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, which organised the demonstration, criticised the guidance as “sweeping and regressive,” arguing it goes beyond the court’s ruling. The group is calling for revisions before the final version is submitted to the government. Among those attending was Callie Max Easton, a 31-year-old trans and non-binary individual, who hoped to speak with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. “This has been an incredibly difficult time since the guidance was issued,” they said.
Singer and actress Kate Nash also joined the protest in solidarity. “There’s a lot of hatred and obsession directed at the trans community, which is such a small part of the population,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to trample on one vulnerable group’s rights to protect another.”
