Thousands attend London Trans+ Pride march
PA MediaTens of thousands of people have marched through the capital for this year's London Trans+ Pride event.
The march began at 13:00 BST near BBC Broadcasting House, at Langham Place, and headed to Trafalgar Square.
London Trans+ Pride described the political backdrop to this year's march as "stark", following new guidance from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which states that single-sex spaces must be used on the basis of biological sex.
The BBC has asked organisers for the number of people in attendance. The Metropolitan Police said it did not have that data.
Heartstopper actress Yasmin Finney, Tip Toe actress Iz Hesketh, TikTok star Jack Remmington and author Juno Dawson were expected among the attendees.
The EHRC guidance, which has been approved by ministers, was published in May following the landmark Supreme Court ruling last year that the definition of a woman under the Equality Act should be based on biological sex.
When it was introduced, women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said it was intended to allow people to live free from discrimination and harassment.
She added that the government's aim was to give organisations "clear, accessible guidance on how to implement the law".
In a statement ahead of the march, one of London Trans+ Pride's founders, Lewis G Burton, said it existed to "remind people that we are not headlines, culture war talking points or distractions from society's real issues, we are human beings".
Alex Palumbo, a registered mental health nurse who attended the march, said it was "important to be proud of who we are and, in fact, by being proud, we allow other people to discover and express themselves in authentic ways".
Simon, who did not give the BBC his last name, runs a support group for LGBT people with prostate cancer.
He said he had joined the march to support transgender people because "attitudes within society have become so malevolent towards a part of our community".
The march ended at Trafalgar Square, where trans activists delivered speeches.
Eva Echo, who was also at the event, said mainstream media was not platforming transgender voices, "so we're here today to unite to make sure that we can be heard and to let people know trans people have always been around".
An attendee who gave his name only as Sebastiano said he was there to support friends and that it was a "joyous moment" with people travelling to the event from all over the country.
Another attendee, who gave their name only as Ansar and identifies as non-binary, said the event was "amazing", adding that they felt that in England, people respected "every gender and every sexuality and every single person".
"I have a request to the whole world please, respect us and accept us," they added.
