London Trans+ Pride shattered its own attendance record on Saturday, as more than 100,000 people filled central London in a powerful show of visibility and solidarity for trans communities, the largest trans pride demonstration ever recorded worldwide, according to organizers. The march’s theme, “Existence & Resistance,” framed a day that was as much protest as celebration, coming in the wake of April’s UK Supreme Court ruling that legally defines womanhood by biological sex under equalities law.
The route wound through Regent Street, Piccadilly, and Trafalgar Square before ending in Parliament Square, where speakers, including Heartstopper and Doctor Who star Yasmin Finney, addressed a crowd that dwarfed last year’s estimated 60,000 attendees by roughly 40,000 people. Organizers and activists framed the turnout as a clear repudiation of intensifying political and legal attacks on trans lives.
Among those speaking was Caroline Litman, whose daughter Alice died by suicide in 2022 after waiting nearly three years for gender‑affirming healthcare, a stark reminder that policy isn’t abstract; delays and rollbacks carry lethal consequences. Her testimony underscored a message repeated throughout the day: access to timely, compassionate care is non‑negotiable.
Trans+ Solidarity Alliance organizer Alex Parmar‑Yee criticized recent proposals and draft guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), warning they risk entrenching discrimination and making essential services harder to reach. That critique reflects a broader backlash to the Supreme Court decision and subsequent policy shifts now rippling through public bodies, changes many fear will legitimize harassment, exclusion from single‑sex spaces, and an escalation in “gender policing.”
Lewis G. Burton, a founding member of London Trans+ Pride, hailed the march as a message to lawmakers and institutions that the community will not retreat. PinkNews reported organizers speaking in similarly urgent terms, stressing the need for a “multi‑pronged approach,” from grassroots action to legal advocacy, to secure real, durable change.
The London event landed amid a broader European Pride season: Berlin hosted one of the continent’s largest LGBTQ+ gatherings this weekend, where a small right‑wing counter‑protest saw arrests, while Amsterdam Pride blended celebration with calls to keep defending LGBTQI+ rights. That international context matters; UK trans people and allies aren’t alone, and the fight against reactionary policy is increasingly transnational.
For trans people reading this: Saturday was proof that you are not isolated, no matter how loudly institutions try to make you feel invisible. For families and allies: your presence matters in the crowd, at the clinic, in the school meeting, and at the dinner table. Keep showing up. Keep writing to MPs. Keep donating to legal funds and grassroots orgs. The record‑breaking numbers weren’t just a statistic; they were a promise that this community will continue to exist, resist, and win.