Nicola Coughlan raises £60k for trans charity after Supreme Court ruling: ‘You don’t speak for me’
Doctor Who star Nicola Coughlan is a staunch trans ally. (Getty/Canva)
Doctor Who star Nicola Coughlan is a staunch trans ally. (Getty/Canva)
Doctor Who and Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan has helped raise more than £60,000 for trans charity Not A Phase in the wake of the UK’s Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman.
In a landmark judgement on Wednesday (16 April), the UK’s Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman in the country’s Equality Act 2010 does not include transgender women.
The case, brought forward by gender-critical group For Women Scotland (FWS), saw five judges unanimously declare that the Equality Act’s use of the terms “women” and “sex” refers to biological women and biological sex.
The ruling, which has prompted a wave of outrage from LGBTQ+ campaigners, charities and celebrities, could have wide-ranging implications for UK-based trans and non-binary people, including potentially impacting their access to single-sex spaces such as hospital wards and refuges.
Following the ruling, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan launched a fundraising campaign in support of trans charity Not A Phase, which funds trans initiatives, and aims to empower the community through social projects and awareness campaigning.
The Derry Girls star shared the fundraiser on Instagram yesterday (17 April), initially setting the fundraising target at £10,000 with a promise to match any donations up to that amount.
Yet the £10,000 target was smashed within an hour, so Coughlan upped it.
After just 24 hours, the amount raised currently stands at a huge £63,000, with a new £70,000 aim.
Not A Phase recently shared a statement asking for support after losing “almost all” of its corporate partners, despite continuing to support “over 4,000” trans people.
“Like many people, I’m completely horrified by the Supreme Court’s ruling [on 16 April] about trans people and to see an already marginalised community being further attacked and attacked in law is really stomach-churning and disgusting,” Coughlan said in a video.
“And to see people celebrating it is more stomach-churning and disgusting. I want to start a fundraiser for Not A Phase, who are an incredible trans charity in the UK,” she continued.
“I would urge you to donate and share and if you are a cisgender person who is an ally of a trans person, I think now is the time to speak up and make your voice heard and let your trans and non-binary friends and the community and large know that you’re there for them and you’ll keep fighting for them.”
In a follow up post, Coughlan denounced those who feel the Supreme Court’s ruling is a “win” for cisgender women.
“I have never been made feel unsafe by a trans person in my life. The only people I’ve been made feel unsafe by are cis people. You’re not fighting for women’s rights. You don’t speak for me. Bigotry is bigotry,” she wrote.
She went on to make a quiet dig at actors who have recently been cast in HBO’s Harry Potter series, writing: “Keep your new Harry Potter lads. Wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole.”
Actors involved in the new Harry Potter series, including Nick Frost and John Lithgow, have been criticised for their involvement in a project being executive produced by the fantasy series’ author, JK Rowling.
Rowling has been continuously vocal about the trans community for several years, and shared a photo online of herself celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling with a cigar.
Other stars to speak out against the Supreme Court’s ruling include The White Lotus actress Aimee Lou Wood, MAFS UK star Ella Morgan, and a host of Drag Race queens.
Coughlan’s Bridgerton co-star Charithra Chandran shared a video of her own on social media, which has swiftly gone viral – with more than eight million views on TikTok.
“I have never felt unsafe around a trans woman, ever. My womanhood has never felt threatened by a trans woman, ever. And if your womanhood has, I think that speaks more to the fragility of your womanhood, than anything about trans women,” she said.
“And for all those people who say they care about women’s sports and women’s safety, where are you petitioning for more funding for women’s sports? Where are you petitioning for better legislation to persecute sexual assault against women?”
She continued: “You don’t care about women. You just want to target those that are already oppressed. Loser behaviour.”
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