UPDATE: |Hundreds take to Manchester city streets in trans rights march News

The protest comes after the UK’s Supreme Court ruled this week that the terms ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex

Hundreds of people took to Manchester city streets in an impromptu protest march.

Crowds gathered on St Peter’s Square for a rally calling for ‘rights for trans people’ today (April 18). The protest comes after the UK’s Supreme Court ruled this week that the terms ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex.

Some campaigners hailed the court ruling as a victory. But others, including those in St Peter’s Square today, have called it a ‘frightening’ moment for trans people and the wider LGBTQ+ community.

In Manchester city centre, hundreds came with pro-trans flags and signs to watch and hear speeches by trans activists.

Manchester’s first openly trans councillor, Chris Northwood, spoke of the rally: “Today’s protest is a reflection of the fear and strength of solidarity in the trans community. The ruling and subsequent comments by the Equality and Human Rights Commission have caused hurt and upset with many people understandably scared for any negative impact which may remove hard won rights.

“Manchester is a proudly progressive city with a rich history of standing up against persecution and today’s demonstration shows that strength.”

Those leading the speeches on the square said they ‘wished [the ruling] was an act of ignorance, a simple case of stupidity’, adding ‘but this was not ignorance – this was planned and funded, done with a vested interest in dragging feminism back to the 19th century’.

In a long-awaited judgment delivered on Wednesday, the court confirmed the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”. This means transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.

Campaigners said the Supreme Court’s judgment could have far-reaching consequences for sports and single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and hospital wards.

The government has said the unanimous decision by five judges brought “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers.

Following this week’s ruling, the LGB Alliance charity said the ruling was a “victory for biology, for common sense, for reality” and that it made clear lesbian clubs can lawfully exclude trans women who have a GRC.

The Sex Matters group, which had made arguments in the case, said the ruling means sports bodies now have “no excuses” for continuing to allow transgender women to compete in female categories.

Meanwhile, LGBT charity Stonewall, while recognising this in the ruling, said there is “deep concern” around the consequences of the judgment, which it said is “incredibly worrying for the trans community”.

Today’s rally in Manchester heard from one speaker: “This is an attack on women as well as trans people, it’s anyone who doesn’t fit into [the court’s] definition of a woman – obedient, submissive, feminine.”

Another said that ‘people are here from across the political spectrum and what unites us is that trans rights are human rights’, while another speaker continued: “We are not asking for superhuman rights, we’re asking to be recognised as people and to have the same rights as everyone else.”

Coun Northwood added: “As a Liberal Democrat councillor I’m proud to represent a party that rejects the false idea that trans rights and women’s rights are in conflict, and in the council chamber will continue to champion trans rights alongside that of residents in Ancoats and Beswick.

“Keir Starmer and the Labour government must now answer questions about what the impact of this ruling means to end this fear and uncertainty, and must ensure that it does not lead to any erosion of the hard won rights of trans people.”

After more than an hour of speeches this afternoon, the crowds took to the streets in an impromptu march down Oxford Street and on through Manchester’s Gay Village, finishing with chants in Sackville Gardens. Police officers quickly moved to close off busy roads as the march made its way across the city for around 30 minutes.

Organiser Emily Chomicz told the Manchester Evening News that many more people had turned out than expected saying: “Our community is demoralised, has been beaten down, and torn to pieces. We have no option but to stand and fight.”

In their judgment, the justices said providers of single-sex spaces including changing rooms, homeless hostels and medical services would face “practical difficulties” if the word “sex” was interpreted as being wider than just biological sex in the 2010 legislation.

The judges, in the case brought by campaign group For Women Scotland (FWS) against the Scottish Government, said: “Read fairly and in context, the provisions relating to single-sex services can only be interpreted by reference to biological sex.”

NHS officials have confirmed they will consider the ruling as they update guidance on same-sex hospital wards. Current NHS England guidance on the issue is laid out in a document from 2019 which says that ‘trans people should be accommodated according to their presentation: the way they dress, and the name and pronouns they currently use’.

The judges said transgender people are still protected from discrimination, and ‘would be able to invoke the provisions on direct discrimination and harassment, and indirect discrimination’ if needed.

The justices also said that trans people are protected from discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment.