Easter weekend in London saw a trans-activist demonstration against the recent Supreme Court ruling which legally defined sex as a biological category.
The decision, overturning the Scottish government’s policy, means that the position of women under the 2010 Equality Act does not extend to men who self-declare to be women, “even” if they acquire a “gender recognition certificate.” (As before the ruling, an individual would still retain legal protection after gender reassignment surgery.)
In London on Saturday, April 19th, activists treated this as tantamount to ‘trans genocide’ and proceded to add further fuel to the idea that Britain is in the grip of ‘two-tier policing,’ where following the ‘correct’ political line minimises the chance of arrest. Protesters
- held a banner declaring ‘The only good TERF is a dead one’;
- beandished placards calling for the ‘witch’ JK (Rowling) to be ‘burned;
- engaged in public urination (#PeeForMe)—because transwomen (i.e. men) get to ‘pee where we want,’ primarily in women’s toilets;
- defaced statues, including that of Nelson Mandela; suffragette Millicent Fawcett was daubed with ‘Fag Rights.’
- heard incitement from speakers including Sarah Jane (previously Alan) Baker, a violent ex-convict who gained further notoriety in 2023 when he called for TERFs (‘trans-exclusionary radical feminists’) to be punched in the face.
Unlike recent public demonstrations on questions of migration (or in support of Israel), police adopted a hand-off approach. Home secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the vandalism as “unacceptable,” while vacationing Prime Minister Keir Starmer broke his silence on the Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday. When asked on television if he believed a trans woman was a woman following the court’s decision, the Prime Minister said “a woman is an adult female.”
Despite this significant setback for ‘self-ID,’ further demonstrations are planned in British cities next weekend, including in Liverpool, Coventry, and York.
