Several hundred trans rights campaigners protest at EHRC Glasgow office
Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside of the EHRC’s Glasgow offices to call for guidance that would exclude transgender people from toilets and other services to be scrapped.
Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside of the EHRC’s Glasgow offices to call for guidance that would exclude transgender people from toilets and other services to be scrapped.
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00:00I'm Dr. Kirsty Ken English. We are here today outside the offices of the EHRC.
00:10There's about a couple hundred of us here protesting the EHRC's interim guidance based off the Supreme Court ruling
00:17that tried to define women in terms of biological sex. We see this ruling and the EHRC guidance as extremely harmful
00:26and in violation of, well it's completely impractical as well, and violates trans people's rights to privacy
00:31and is potentially harmful for cis women in particular, particularly those who might not meet white Western beauty standards
00:39who could also be challenged in entering single sex spaces, entering bathrooms.
00:44The reason why this all matters is if you can't enter these spaces, you can't enter bathrooms in particular,
00:48you cannot go out in public. This is about a segregation of space, it's about trying to force trans people out of public spaces,
00:54trying to force us back into the closet, trying to force us not to exist, and that's why we're here today
01:01protesting the EHRC's interim guidance.
01:03Going back to the principles of the Equality Act and thinking about how do we protect people.
01:08The Equality Act should be protecting people based on if they experience discrimination based on misogyny,
01:14based on racism, based on transphobia. Defining people in terms of sex and gender birth is completely irrational based on that.
01:22If a trans woman is harassed at work for being a woman, she is being harassed because of our perceived sex.
01:29Defining it in terms of sex and gender birth is completely irrational, it's completely impractical.
01:34Policing public spaces, how on earth are you going to police bathrooms without just harassing anyone that you think might not be a woman?
01:42And just limiting how people can enter public spaces. So the main way to fix this is to listen to trans people.
01:47Scotland in particular has the opportunity to, and it has a big talk in terms of human rights and standing up for marginalised groups.
01:56Actually listening to trans people and not just in talk but actually acting upon that and coming out in defence of us is important here.
02:06So protests like this today, we will continue coming out in protests like this.
02:10We are also telling people to contact the EHRC. There's going to be a consultation.
02:15However, we're telling them to contact them now. We know of these consultations.
02:19It's often the case that they will just ignore it. They have a plan in mind.
02:22So contact them now telling them this is not okay. Contact your employer. Contact the services you can use.
02:27Tell them not to comply with this guidance. It is not statutory. It is not a requirement.
02:32And we're telling people to stand up for trans rights.
02:36I myself have been speaking to universities. I've been speaking to human rights organisations.
02:40Telling them to come and defend their trans siblings.
02:43Telling them to emphasise the impracticality of this approach and how it is completely irrational.
02:49The EHRC interim guidance has been described as scientifically illiterate.
02:54Emphasising that. It's just not workable. It's completely irrational. It's just fuelled on bigotry.
02:59We are angry. We're scared. But we're not going anywhere. We are going to continue to fight.
03:07There's people in the community, particularly trans women, who are really terrified for their safety.
03:13I know people who are considering how they might have to leave the country. That's how bad it is.
03:18The UK in particular has some of the most transphobic policies in the world.
03:23It is becoming so hostile for trans people.
03:25Older feminists recognise that the Supreme Court really is extremely harmful.
03:30Not just for trans people, but potentially all women.
03:33Defining any attempt to define womanhood means excluding and policing other women.
03:38And defining people in terms of biological sex, in terms of their bodies.
03:45It completely disregards people who are intersex. It disregards the nuances of our lives.
03:51Organisations that have us as employees, as students, as service providers, should be doing more.
03:57They should be speaking out on our behalf.
04:00And it's not just for individual speaking out, but also collective organisations emphasising that this is not workable.
04:08This is not statutory guidance. They should be pushing back against this. And this is the time to do it.
04:13If you had a message for the Scottish Government, what would it be?
04:16Do more for trans people. Do more for marginalized groups broadly.
04:20Push back against the UK Government.
04:23It should be seen as a matter of Scottish democracy as well.
04:26We just want to get on with our lives. This is not anything special we're asking for.
04:29We just want to be able to go about our business and exist.
04:33And currently we are being used to a punching bag.
04:36If you feel like, oh, why is it always about this trans stuff?
04:39We don't want to have to be protesting this.
04:41There's lots of other things in the world we want to be getting on with.
04:44But we have to because they keep coming for our human rights and they're doing it because we're an easy target.