By Trans Pride Southampton.
We at Trans Pride Southampton are appalled at the recent EHRC guidance, surrounding trans people being able to use bathrooms, changing rooms and other facilities of the gender of which they identify as, coming into force.
This guidance does not protect women from harm. Instead it will harm a small minority group of people (mainly trans women) who already face a large amount of discrimination in public.
The guidance will only continue to make it more daunting for trans people to live their everyday lives, and possibly encourage even more anti-trans specifically and anti-LGBT rhetoric and hate crimes that are growing in the UK.
It’s also worth noting that both cisgender woman with certain characteristics and intersex people will also be harmed by this guidance.
Nonetheless, we remain committed to our LGBTQIA+ community. We encourage our supporters to continue to use facilities of the gender (and sex) you identify as (as the guidance is laughably unenforceable). And we encourage businesses to join the Safe Space Southampton Network with safespacesouthampton to show your commitment to ALL patrons and service users you will have.
We will not be bullied back into the closet.
We will not give in.
We are trans and we will win.
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