Nearly 1,000 trans people and allies expected to descend on Westminster to call for "cruel and unworkable" EHRC guidance to be scrapped

Nearly 1,000 trans people and allies are expected to descend on Westminster next week as campaigners urge the Government to abandon what they describe as "cruel and unworkable" Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance.

The mass lobby, organised by Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, will take place in Parliament on Wednesday, 9 September, with participants meeting MPs to press for stronger legal protections for trans people and changes to the controversial guidance.

Organisers say the event comes amid growing opposition to the EHRC's interim guidance, which was produced following the Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of sex in the Equality Act. More than 160 MPs, including a significant number of Labour backbenchers, have previously expressed concerns about the guidance and its potential impact on trans people.

Campaigners hope this year's event will build on the success of a record-breaking lobby in 2025, when more than 900 trans people and allies travelled to Westminster in what organisers described as the largest LGBTQ+ parliamentary lobby in British political history.

Alexandra Parmar-Yee, director of Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, said campaigners were determined to keep pressure on ministers. "The Government wants this issue to go away. They want you to go away. We need to show them that neither can or will happen," she said.

Parmar-Yee accused ministers of failing to provide legal clarity following the Supreme Court judgment and warned that the current situation was creating uncertainty for organisations and service providers across the country.

"By running away from their duty to fix the UK's broken equality law, the Government has created a legal minefield which puts communal spaces and services all over the country at risk of being sued," she said.

"More importantly, they've created an environment where trans people are less safe living our everyday lives."

She added: "Trans people cannot simply evaporate, we have no choice but to navigate the dangerous environment the Government has created. This guidance is cruel and unworkable and it must be scrapped."

Campaigners are expected to spend the afternoon meeting MPs in Westminster Hall to discuss the impact of the guidance and call for legislative changes to protect trans people's rights.

Unlike a traditional protest, a mass lobby involves members of the public arranging meetings with their MPs inside Parliament to raise concerns directly with elected representatives.

Alongside the parliamentary meetings, organisers are planning a visual stunt in Parliament Square, where participants will leave written messages in a giant farewell card symbolising what they describe as the UK's declining international reputation on LGBTQ+ rights.

There will also be opportunities for journalists to speak to trans people affected by the guidance, as well as campaign organisers and participating MPs.

Parmar-Yee said the event was intended to send a clear message that trans communities would continue fighting for legal recognition and protection. "They want us to go quietly," she said. "Now, more than ever, we need to show up and demand better."

The lobby comes as debate over trans rights continues to divide politicians and campaigners, with LGBTQ+ organisations arguing that the EHRC guidance risks increasing exclusion and discrimination, while supporters say it provides clarity following the Supreme Court ruling.