Trans people protest against UK government blocking Scottish gender bill
Hundreds of transgender people and their allies took to Downing Street on 18 January to protest the government’s decision to block Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
Speakers at the demonstration universally condemned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for the move, though anger at both Labour and the Conservatives was clear. “Trans rights are under attack, stand up, fight back” and “Keir Starmer eat shit” were among the slogans chanted by campaigners.
Some Labour MPs attended the rally, including Angela Eagle and Nadia Whittome, the latter of which gave a speech to the packed out crowd. “It’s not legal concerns that are behind this order, it’s bigotry,” Whittome declared, adding: “The trans community is not collateral damage, trans rights are not a side issue, and trans people deserve a government that stands on their side.” Whittome was one of just 11 Labour MPs who sided with the SNP in a symbolic vote about Scotland’s gender bill on 17 January.
What is the Gender Recognition Reform Bill? The legislation would have made it easier for trans people to change their legally recognised gender.
