Trans Pride protest march draws tens of thousands to Brighton

Thousands of people have marched to celebrate ‘trans joy’ and demand equal rights on the 10th anniversary of Trans Pride Brighton . While organisers expected between 5,000 to 10,000 people to take part – half the original estimate after a yellow weather warning for wind and rain forced a change of route – the event is believed to have attracted 30,000 protesters. Reflecting on the 10-year anniversary since starting Trans Pride Brighton, co-founder and trans activist Fox Fisher said he was ‘immensely proud’. He said: ‘The year we set it up we had no idea who was going to come, we knew we needed to form a community, a community didn’t exist.’ The film-maker added: ‘For us it’s about celebrating who we are, it’s about trans joy… ‘We don’t want to hide in the shadows, we want to be seen.’ One protester Xandice Armah said the march was ‘incredible’, adding: ‘The energy was so good and getting to actually see the whole city come out and support us as well, it just shows us [the] silent majority loves trans people.’ Software engineer Alex Chan also praised the turnout of support, saying it was a reminder ‘there are so many of us’, particularly at a time when trans people are made to think ‘you are on your own’. Many people travelled from across the country to join the weekend focusing on trans rights and supporting the community. Comedian Eddie Izzard was spotted taking part while Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas was among the speakers on the day. Brighton and Hove’s first openly trans councillor Raphael Hill was also addressing Trans Pride Brighton later on Saturday, which they said is ‘a real privilege’. Speaking to the PA news agency, Cllr Hill said Trans Pride is really important, particularly in the ‘current political climate’ where they said the trans community feels treated as a ‘political issue’ and a ‘problem’. The Green party councillor added: ‘We are people, we deserve rights and have feelings the same as anyone else.’ The 26-year-old, who was elected in May, said being trans made their decision to stand as a councillor more difficult because of concerns for their safety and how to deal with misunderstandings around trans people. ‘I’m very mindful of both my safety but also the importance of my role because it’s quite unique in having those two identities,’ the councillor added. According to Trans Pride Brighton, it is the biggest Trans Pride event in Europe and runs the charity with more than 100 volunteers. Mr Fisher said that the UK is falling ‘dangerously behind’ on LGBT+ rights and Trans Pride Brighton has highlighted issues such as struggles for trans people to access healthcare, ‘divisive coverage’ of planned changes to the Gender Recognition Act and ‘dangerous’ coverage of transgender children. LGBT+ anti-abuse charity Galop have also commented on the ‘staggering’ rise of transphobic hate crimes by 56% in the country revealed in the official statistics for 2021 to 2022. Many protesters believed that Trans Pride as a separate event alongside Pride for the wider LGBT+ community was important due to the need for political protest to promote trans rights. Teacher Martina Gilli, who came to Trans Pride Brighton to show support for her trans students and friends, said: ‘I think they are on the right side of history,’ ‘It’s so obvious this is the same fight that gay people went through, this is the next step,’ she said, adding that Trans Pride is still very much a protest. ‘Trans people don’t have all the rights they should have.’ Lex Roberts, who travelled from Nottingham, said the protest has become ‘more important’ and ‘more angry’ each year because of trans people ‘being vilified in the media’. Harriet Collier travelled from Chichester in West Sussex to join the Brighton Trans Pride protest for the first time. The 31-year-old said: ‘I came out in December having spent years since childhood not being able to fully understand who I was. ‘I felt it was really important to come today to show solidarity with the rest of the community’. Organisers are hoping to raise enough cash to continue running its community space Trans Pride Centre in the city and continue the Pride event for another year. To find out more about Trans Pride Brighton and its fundraiser click here.