Protesters shared their anger at new guidance on single sex spaces and urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to make a positive difference to transgender people
An estimated 150,000 people marched through central London in the world’s largest trans pride event, organisers have said.
Protesters voiced anger at the new guidance on single sex-spaces and called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to make a positive difference to trans people. Saturday’s march through the baking heat started near the BBC’s central London headquarters, where placards read: “let people p*** in peace”, “marching for all my trans siblings past and present”, and “these meds save lives”.
It ended with crowds spilling onto Trafalgar Square, filling the steps and the fountain walls to watch speeches – overlooked by artist Teresa Margolles’s sculpture of face casts from 726 trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people. It is the first time the end point to the rally has been the square “right in the heart of this city that belongs to us as much as anyone”, said a founding member of London Trans+ Pride, Lewis G Burton.
“Every single person who marched today is proof that we are not going anywhere, that our joy is louder than their hate, and that London Trans+ Pride will keep fighting, keep loving and keep growing until every trans person is safe, seen, and free,” they added.
Before the march, the mother of a trans woman who took her own life said “more children are going to die” unless Mr Burnham works to reverse the “anti-trans policies” that Sir Keir Starmer oversaw. Alice Litman, 20, had spent 1,023 days waiting for gender-affirming care when she took her own life in May 2022.
Her mother, former NHS psychiatrist Caroline Litman, said the situation for trans people has deteriorated since then. Her youngest daughter Alice had faced name-calling, sexism, deadnaming, biphobia and a “litany of errors” as she tried to seek out gender-affirming care, Ms Litman said.
But she said: “Things have got so much worse, and it’s just so disappointing because my family chose to go public with (Alice’s) inquest in an effort to raise awareness of the terrible wait lists and to really bring about change, and it’s just got worse and worse and worse since that happened, and it’s just so disappointing.
“And I kind of carry a lot of burden – I feel like we have failed in our aims and it’s really, really disappointing.” She added: “I just keep fighting, but it very often feels like nobody is listening.”
Two of her examples were the new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance on single-sex spaces, and the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance which she described as “Section 28 mark two”.
The co-founder of advocacy group Transparent Action added: “Andy (Burnham), if you’re listening, I’m the mother of a trans child who took her life by suicide and more children are going to die on your watch if you don’t do something to reverse the anti-trans policies that your predecessor has overseen.
“This is telling you loud and clear: it will happen, and you will be responsible. More and more research is coming through every week, every month, to show that gender-affirming care is life-saving care, especially in under-18s.”
While still Greater Manchester mayor in May, Mr Burnham called for Britain to have a “live and let live approach to life” when asked about EHRC guidance. He said people need to “stop arguing”, find common ground and “start pulling together” – and while the “time has come” to implement guidance on the basis of last year’s landmark Supreme Court ruling on biological sex, it must be done in “the fairest and most compassionate way possible”.
The EHRC guidance said single-sex services must be used on the basis of biological sex and not gender identity, after the Supreme Court in April 2025 ruled that the words “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
Speaking before the march, award-winning author Juno Dawson reminded Mr Burnham: “Shall I tell you where loves trans people? Manchester.” The Doctor Who writer and author of This Book Is Gay, Ms Dawson, said: “If he’s going to be a Manchester Prime Minister he really does need to speak out, like the press are never going to support him.
“So he needs to just ignore that voice and go with what’s right, and actually what most women believe. By any poll, most women come out strongly in favour of trans rights and they are his voters, so.”
She added: “Keir Starmer won in a general election on a huge mandate, and part of that was pledging his support for the LGBT community, which he didn’t follow through with. I think Starmer was very, very scared of the British media, which is ironic because they were never going to support him – he could have done anything and they were going to be against his government.
“So what I would say to Andy Burnham is: the tabloids aren’t going to support you anyway, so you might as well act with kindness and compassion.” She added that there is “no Government obligation to act on that guidance” and if Mr Burnham “really wants to pledge his support to the LGBTQ+ community, he needs to reject that guidance”.
A Government spokesperson said: “The Government is committed to protecting the rights, dignity and safety of all LGBT+ people.
“There are clear laws in place to protect trans people from discrimination and harassment, which we will continue to uphold. We have strengthened protections for trans people against hate crime and pushed forward with our trans-inclusive conversion practices ban, as well as promoting LGBT+ rights internationally and improving LGBT+ healthcare.
“Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people in education. This is why we have issued updated keeping children safe in education guidance.”
When life is difficult, Samaritans are available day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
