Hundreds marched from Manchester Crown Court to sit in protest at Victoria Station, condemning British Transport Police (BTP) and gender-critical lobbyists – for spreading “hateful attitudes”.
On Saturday 3 May, Manchester Trans Liberation Assembly led around 500 people in shaming BTP for changing its strip-search policy – just 24 hours after the Supreme Court ruled on the definition of a woman.
Director of Innovation at Birmingham Pride, Eva Echo questioned if the judgement was really for the greater protection of women – people like Wayne Couzens don’t need to be trans and don’t pretend to be, she said.
Echo claimed: “It’s really unjust, you could even go as far as saying an absolute miscarriage of justice.
“We’re the guinea pigs.”
Spokesperson for the Socialist Worker Party, Jasmine Rushby added: “It was quite for easy for trans people to feel powerless following the ruling.”
Following celebrations from gender-critics like JK Rowling, trans advocacy groups are calling for “cold-turkey” boycotts of Harry Potter and asking inclusive organisations to “step up”.
Warning how “detrimental” the ruling’s impact could be, Echo said: “From a kid’s point of view, they just want to exist.
“If it’s based on perception, that opens the door to abuse.”
BTP stated: “We have advised our officers that any same sex searches in custody are to be undertaken in accordance with the biological birth sex of the detainee.
“We are in the process of reviewing the implications of the ruling and will consider any necessary updates to our policies and practices in line with the law and national guidance.”
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