Stuart WoodThe Pride parade in London this past Saturday, 7 July, was interrupted by an anti-trans protest at the front of the march.
Lesbian and feminist group ‘Get the L Out’ protested against the trans movement, which they said attacks lesbian rights.
Organisers were unable to remove the protesters, who were not committing any criminal offences. In a statement posted online, Pride in London commented:
“We reject what this group stands for. They do not share our values, which are about inclusion and respect and support for the most marginalised parts of our community.
“We are proud of our trans volunteers, proud of the trans groups that are in our parade, proud of the trans speakers at events, proud of the trans people who take part in our campaigns, and proud of those who cheered even louder for them yesterday.”
The protest was not enough to dampen the spirit of celebration all through the city, however. Access was there to witness the parade first hand, as around 30,000 participants from 472 organisations marched from Oxford Circus to Trafalgar Square.
Hundreds of thousands more flocked to the streets to watch, with packed out roads all along the route. The mood was jubilant with the sun shining, and England’s world cup quarter-final victory later in the afternoon only added to the party atmosphere throughout the city.
Access did not witness the protest first hand, but the video above was taken a matter of minutes after it took place behind the rainbow coloured Barclays van. There was some confusion among the crowd as to why the parade was starting fifteen minutes late.
In the wake of the protest, Brighton and Hove Pride have also released a statement condemning it and reiterating their policy of inclusivity and tolerance. They said:
“Brighton & Hove is recognised as a diverse and inclusive city and the home of the original TransPride. The Pride movement was begun by trans people and trans people will always be welcome at Brighton Pride.”
The Brighton Pride parade will take place on Saturday 4 August. It has had the largest number of entires ever, with each LGBTQ+ community group who has applied being granted a spot.