Gscene News Archive

Members of TransLondon, London's largest support group for trans-identified and genderqueer people, have voted overwhelmingly to boycott this years Pride London 2009 march and rally. It will be the first time TransLondon have had no presence at Pride London.

This follows after a number of trans women were denied access to the women's toilets by Pride security stewards last year.

One woman alleges she was sexually assaulted after being told to use the male toilets.

Roz Kaveney, one of the victims in the 2008 ‘ToiletGate’ incident, maintains, Pride London have only ever provided a grudging apology under threat of legal action, and she feels they had never taken the discrimination against trans women in the 2008 rally seriously.

During a meeting on May 19th 2009, members of Translondon heard how the democratic and transparent structure used in 2008 to co-ordinate participation of trans groups and the funds made available for transgender attendees, through the elected Trans@Pride committee, had been abolished by Pride London for 2009.

Instead, Pride London have imposed their own unelected ‘representative’ for the trans strand. Translondon maintain that requests for information about funding, how decisions were made and who participated in the decision-making process, have been rebuffed.

TransLondon is keen to hear from any other groups from other parts of the LGBTQ community who also feel disenfranchised by Pride London this year.

For more information about Translondon view:
www.translondon.org.uk