Show Up for the Black Trans Community
On 27 March, a Black Trans Lives Matter march is scheduled to take place in London. Organised by LDNBLM and London Trans+ Pride, the peaceful demonstration will celebrate the Black trans community and mourn Black trans people who have lost their lives.
Black trans women such as Martha P Johnson were central in instigating the modern LGTQIA+ rights movement yet they continue to be let down by both the queer community and wider society. They remain the most oppressed of any queer group, with 91 per cent of the victims in US trans murder cases in 2019 being Black trans women. Most recently, the murders of Dominique Rem’mie Fells and Riah Milton have demonstrated the sheer extent of racist, misogynistic and transphobic violence which Black trans women are subject to.
The march will also protest the Conservative Government’s decision to scrap reforms to the Gender Reform Act which would have allowed for trans individuals to self-ID and would have legally recognised non-binary people. This comes after a lengthy public consultation concluded that 70 per cent of the public were in favour of self-ID.
In addition to dropping these changes, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Equalities Minister Liz Truss reportedly also plan to bring in “new protections” for women’s spaces, effectively excluding trans women from using them, and to ban trans people from using public toilets. Not only is this an open attack on the trans community, but it is set to undo the progress made by the 2010 Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination against trans people seeking single-sex services.
For those wanting to take part in the march, it begins at Wellington Arch at 2 pm. Demonstrators will walk to Downing Street, where there will also be a static protest (suitable for those with access needs who can’t take part in the march) and speeches will take place from 3 pm. Those taking part are encouraged to protect their identity with face coverings, wear and carry flowers and to practise social distancing.
For further details about the march, check the flyers below.
Ahead of the march, organisers at Black Trans Lives Matter and Trans + Pride are raising funds to cover the costs of PPE, Hi-Vis, food and water for attendees. Donate here.
