Nottingham to hold Trans Rights Die-In

This Saturday (16^th August), Nottingham Against Transphobia with Notts Pastel Project and Trans Pride Notts are holding a die-in to protest the leaked EHRC policy which, among many changes that will impact trans lives, moves to ban trans women from women-only spaces including bathrooms. This proactive move of community activism will be held outside the Old Nottingham Council House at Market Square at 1pm.

In a post on Instagram, the organisers explained: “With MP Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling trans women men, we know what's going to happen if we're quiet.

“Labour MPs in Nottingham Alex Norris and Lillian Greenwood have been SILENT. LET THEM HEAR US for the sake of all of our trans siblings we have lost thanks to them and their party.”

Nottingham’s die-in for trans rights follows a history of similar protests throughout the decades of LGBTQ+ rights. Die-ins, a demonstration in which a group of people gather and lie down as if dead, are usually used to highlight the loss and future potential loss of lives due to inaction regarding an issue. They were frequently held during the HIV/AIDS pandemic to protest lack of action from governments in vital healthcare research, education and needs.

Stonewall's LGBT in Britain: Health Report (2018) found that almost half of trans people have considered taking their own life, a statistic that has likely increased over the years that followed that report.

In 2024, further research led by the University of Manchester in collaboration with the Proud Trust and LGBT Foundation, published in the Lancet Public Health journal concluded that the risk of a long-term mental health condition in England is higher for transgender individuals. About one in six for transgender men and women (16.4% and 15.9% respectively), compared to one in 10 for cisgender men and women (8.8% and 12%), the study found.

With an increasingly hostile world to face and life likely being made more difficult by the EHRC’s change in policy, trans lives are increasingly at risk. Nottingham’s die-in will act as a stark call to action in the protection of trans lives.

Trans allies and their friends are encouraged to attend the die-in protest this weekend. Nottingham Against Transphobia are also in search of stewards to help keep those taking part in the protest safe. So, if you would like to volunteer, then drop them a message via Instagram.