Mary Finch, Waltham Forest Socialist Party
Thousands of people turned out for Trans Pride in London, despite starting in the middle of a literal thunderstorm. The march showed how much anger there is at the attacks on trans people, which in recent years have increased as the Tories whip up transphobia.
There was enormous support for socialist ideas and the Socialist Party’s programme for LGBTQ+ liberation was snapped up by attendees. We say that the fight against trans and LGBQ+ oppression means fighting the cuts and kicking the Tories out. We raised over £150 in fighting fund.
The deep funding crisis in the NHS, under-resourced and under-staffed by the Tories, means that accessing gender-affirming healthcare is almost impossible for most people. Mental health problems and suicide rates are disproportionately high amongst trans people, but again, it’s almost impossible to access adequate mental health support. We fight for the resources needed so all can access healthcare, including trans-specific and mental health services.
Women, including trans women, have also been under attack. Rates of violence against women are skyrocketing, without the services to adequately protect and support them, and they are some of the worst affected by the housing and pay crisis.
The Tories have tried to blame the lack of services for women on trans people. It’s no coincidence that they’ve been trying to reignite the “debate” during one of the biggest strike waves in decades. The Tories want to pit women and trans people against each other to divide workers, making out that groups have to fight between themselves for dwindling resources instead of uniting and fighting for more.
There was clear support for our call of ‘Tories Out’ – Labour will almost certainly win the next general election, but won’t bring the improvements needed to the lives of ordinary people. Starmer echoes the Tories anti-trans rhetoric and has been appealing to the bosses that he will act in their interests. There was widespread support at Trans Pride for our call for a new workers’ party that will unite workers, stand up to all the cuts, and fight all forms of oppression.
