‘Divide and rule will be their tactic – solidarity will be ours’

Eira Ekenberg-Jones, Rhondda Cynon Taff Socialist Party

Cardiff Trans Pride called an emergency demo in response to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)’s new guidance. Despite the extremely warm weather, the demo saw a great turnout of around 400 people.

The organisers unfortunately declined to associate with any trade unions or parties. We agreed to attend regardless, making ourselves visible by holding copies of the Socialist paper, and we appeared to be the only party there. Trade union members also attended, including Socialist Party members marching with a PCS banner – the trade union turnout was limited.

It’s all our fight

The speeches at the end of the march called for small grassroots LGBTQ+ groups to join together to fight the EHRC’s guidance. The work these organisations do is often vitally important, but transgender people cannot separate our fight for liberation from the wider working class. The trans community is currently a key target for divide and rule – a tactic to drive wedges between working-class people to weaken our collective strength. Separating our marches just makes this tactic more effective.

Speakers also highlighted the Good Law Project, and its attempts to overturn the guidance. However, the courts cannot be trusted to grant our rights back to us after stripping them away. Legal suits can only be successful as part of a larger movement.

Eilonwy, Socialist Party member and delegate to PCS Proud National Committee, spoke in a personal capacity, and put forward a platform to build this movement. She highlighted that this guidance isn’t law – the decision whether to implement it will be made by individual employers, who can be pressured into action through trade unions. Eilonwy ended by saying: “Divide and rule will be their tactic – solidarity and class politics will be ours”.