London Trans+ Pride 2026: Paul Mescal makes first trans rights statement as history-making march
London Trans+ Pride
Saturday 25th July 2026
Announce this year’s theme:
‘Our Future, Our Fight’
History-making march announces 2026 theme and calls for urgent solidarity as community faces continued attack
With powerful support from Paul Mescal, Mel B, Mayor Zoë Garbett, Michaela Coel, Jessie Ware, Jameela Jamil, Munroe Bergdorf, Jeremy Corbyn, Yasmin Finney and more
Yasmin Finney and mother marching | Photo Credit: Max Siegel
The political backdrop to this year’s march is stark. Following last year’s Supreme Court ruling – which redefined “biological sex” in a way that enables the exclusion of trans women from single-sex services, without input from a single trans-led organisation – the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has now moved to put that ruling into practice. Its draft Code of Practice, laid before Parliament on 21 May 2026 and again produced without consulting any trans-led organisation, directs service providers to exclude trans women from single-sex spaces. Trans rights organisations including TransActual warn it leaves trans people with fewer protections than they had before the ruling. Beyond the EHRC guidance: puberty blockers have been permanently banned for trans youth, and the Government’s draft ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026’ guidance rolls back trans inclusion in schools. The UK now ranks 22nd out of 49 European countries on the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map – a country that topped the index as recently as 2015.
As one of the founding members of LT+P, Lewis G. Burton (they/she), puts it, trans people are “not headlines, culture war talking points or distractions from society’s real issues” – they are teachers, carers, artists, parents, neighbours and friends who want to live safely in their communities. LT+P organiser EM Williams (they/them) captures the mood of the march: “Why do we keep fighting? Because there is hope… Our Future is that hope, with the catalyst of love, believing in genuine human empathy and the desire for everyone to be treated with respect, dignity, equality and equity”. The theme Our Future, Our Fight is both an acknowledgement of that reality and a refusal to accept it.
London Trans+ Pride is calling on allies – friends, family, colleagues, and anyone who believes in dignity and equality – to march alongside the trans+ community on 25th July. Last year’s turnout of 100,000 sent a clear message: the overwhelming majority of people believe trans people deserve safety and the freedom to exist without fear. In 2026, that message needs to be louder still. As Dani St James (she/her) of Not A Phase puts it: “Shelve passive allyship and step into active advocacy. Show up on the streets and then take that same energy to your workplace, your social circles, your local pub, and your polling booth”.
Our Future, Our Fight is also a declaration of power. Trans+ people have existed throughout recorded history and long before it – across cultures, across eras, across every attempt to erase them. That existence is not a matter for debate. What is being debated – what the march demands – is whether society will choose to recognise, protect, and celebrate it.
Photo Credit: Lucian-M Koncz
Paul Mescal (he/him) – in his first public statement on trans rights: “I’m incredibly proud to stand in support of my trans friends and the wider trans community. Given the political climate at the moment it feels more and more pressing that we make our voices heard. This is a moment for respect, safety and recognition. Trans rights are human rights.”
Mel B (she/her): “London Trans+ Pride is a moment to show up loud and proud – because every single person deserves to live freely and be exactly who they are in a world that accepts and embraces every culture, every class, every race and every one. I stand with the trans community today and every day.”
Mayor Zoë Garbett (she/her): “London Trans+ Pride is such an important moment of solidarity and joy. In the current moment, when trans people are facing so much hostility and uncertainty, it matters more than ever that our communities come together to affirm that trans people are entitled to safety, dignity and freedom. Solidarity means standing up for each other not only in words, but through action. In Hackney, we will not rest until every trans person can fully participate in public life. We will continue to push the government to end its anti-trans measures, whilst doing everything locally to ensure people feel safe and welcome in their community. To trans people across the UK right now: you are loved, you are not alone, and there are so many people fighting alongside you. London Trans+ Pride is a powerful reminder of that collective strength.”
Deborah Frances White (she/her): “I know many generous, imaginative, glorious transgender human beings who are dehydrating themselves rather than visit a public loo, fearful their identity & humanity will be challenged, where it would not have been some years ago. It’s worth reading the Amnesty report about where & how this fear and persecution was stoked. It is heart breaking, morally wrong and unacceptable. Let people be who they are and work together to create a harmonious society.”
Michaela Coel (she/her): “I’m riding for you.”
For the full quotes sheet – including messages from Jessie Ware, Jameela Jamil, Jeremy Corbyn, Munroe Bergdorf, Jake Shears, Travis Alabanza, Steps, Rina Sawayama, Russell Tovey, Harris Dickinson, Will Young, Paloma Faith, Eddie Suzy Izzard, Alison Goldfrapp, Lydia West, Honey Dijon, Clara Amfo, Nicola Roberts, Dani St James (Not A Phase), Trans Kids Deserve Betterand more – here.
London Trans+ Pride Team
Stephanie Lynnette (she/her), Event Manager, London Trans+ Pride: “For myself, as Event Manager, as a trans+ woman, this year’s march feels so vital because of its demonstration of the community’s resilience. They’ve thrown everything they’ve got at us and here we still stand, arm in arm, marching together and absolutely thriving. This year for me also feels like we’re spotlighting the vital intersectional allyship we all need to grow and bloom together — marching for our collective futures and fighting for it every step of the way.”
EM Williams (they/them): “Our Fight. Conflict surrounds us. The fight for worldwide liberation and justice is interconnected. Why do we keep fighting? Because there is hope… Our Future is that hope, with the catalyst of love, believing in genuine human empathy and the desire for everyone to be treated with respect, dignity, equality and equity. The future is inevitable. As inevitable as the existence, past, present, and future of trans bodies.”
Sukey Venables-Fisher (she/her): “All the evidence of the past ten years says any political party that can throw us under the bus, will do. We’ve let ourselves be scapegoated for too long. We can’t rely on anyone else. We’re not victims, we’re not freaks, we’re not perverts. We are a wise, loving, powerful community well able to tell our own stories. Not the TERFs, not the state — we decide our own fate.”
Lewis G. Burton (they/she), founding member of London Trans+ Pride: “At a time when trans people are increasingly being scapegoated by parts of the media and political establishment, London Trans+ Pride exists to remind people that we are not headlines, culture war talking points or distractions from society’s real issues, we are human beings. We are teachers, carers, artists, baristas, mechanics, parents, siblings, neighbours and friends who simply want to live safely and peacefully in our communities.
For years, a very small but loud and well-funded minority has been allowed to dominate the conversation around trans lives, creating fear and division while attention is pulled away from the issues that are truly impacting people across the UK, from the cost of living crisis to housing insecurity, underfunded healthcare and growing inequality.
But last year, over 100,000 people marched with London Trans+ Pride in a powerful show of solidarity and collective care. That turnout sent a clear message, that the overwhelming majority of people believe trans people deserve dignity, safety and the freedom to exist without fear.
This year’s theme, ‘Our Future, Our Fight’, is a reminder that our future is something worth fighting for. Not just for trans people, but for a world rooted in compassion, community and hope. Despite everything, we are still here, and we are not going anywhere.”
Stephanie Lynnette appeared on Good Morning Britain in March 2026 to discuss this year’s march, puberty blockers for trans+ children and the political context facing the trans+ community. London Trans+ Pride organisers and spokespeople are available for interview.