Princess Jezebel Joins Mass Lobby for Trans Rights at Parliament
LONDON—Princess Jezebel joined hundreds of trans people and allies at the Houses of Parliament on September 9 for the Mass Lobby for Trans Equality, calling on MPs to challenge newly implemented EHRC guidance on single-sex spaces. Nearly 1,000 people had signed up for the action, organized by the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance.
Unlike a typical protest or demonstration, attendees gathered outside Parliament and queued to request face-to-face meetings with the MPs representing their constituencies, explaining the harm they say the guidance is causing.
The day was strategically chosen while Parliament was sitting, with a positive and defiant atmosphere as welfare workers distributed water and snacks to people waiting for hours.
“The EHRC guidance that has come into force in the UK is unworkable, unenforceable, will encumber business with unnecessary costs and endangers both trans and cisgender people,” said Jezebel. “It's essential for people outside of our community to understand how we arrived at this point which is via a years-long, sustained and well-funded campaign of a series of anti-trans pressure groups to lobby the government. The new guidance is based on a false premise that cannot be substantiated with evidence.”
“In fact the data shows us the opposite, which is that transgender people are disproportionately likely to be attacked and sexually assaulted. Cisgender people beware, if you don't stand up for trans people, if you allow our rights to be dismantled in broad daylight then a dangerous precedent is set and nobody's rights are safe.”
The EHRC Code of Practice came into force August 5 and has prompted mounting opposition from trans campaigners, who argue it is unsafe and unworkable for both individuals and service providers. A London-based professional dominatrix and founder of a community for trans and non-binary BDSM professionals across the UK and Ireland, Jezebel offers first-hand commentary on trans identity, activism, and life in modern Britain.
Find and follow Princess Jezebel at TransPrincessJezebel.com.