Topless trans folks protest outside Downing Street in ‘deeply symbolic act’

Trans folks went topless outside Downing Street during a protest calling out the oppression of the community across the UK.

The protest action – which took place on Sunday (25 May) in London – was organised by activism group STRIVE (Standing for Trans Rights, Inclusion and Visibility Everywhere) as a means of “bringing our voices to the very place where too many harmful policies and decisions have been made” about the “safety, dignity, and rights of trans people across the UK”.

Trans people and their allies came out in force for the demonstration and marched from Marble Arch to Downing Street in a “powerful journey” that lead “directly to the heart of political decision making”.

At the end of the march, a rally was held where trans people were invited to – if they felt comfortable – remove their tops and stand bare chested outside the gates of Downing Street.

Images taken during the demonstration shows 10 trans women and one trans man stood outside Downing Street, waving trans flags and woman holding a sign that read: “Let Us Live Free. Give Us A Voice.”

During the rally, the uncle of trans woman Alice Litman also “spoke eloquently and with much love” about his niece on what was the third anniversary of her death.

A counterprotest by gender-critical activists took place near the demonstration, with around seven people believed to have taken part.

“This is a deeply symbolic act, one that reflects the raw truth of how exposed and vulnerable our community is made to feel under a government that continues to marginalise and ignore us,” the group told PinkNews in an statement following the demonstration. “We stand bare not for shock, but for honesty, for the transparency our leaders have refused to offer.

“We are not activists. We are regular people. But like all trans people in the UK, we are now forced to stand up and say: enough.

“We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fairness, for safety, and for the dignity that every human being deserves. We want a society where no one is denied healthcare, legal recognition, or basic respect because of who they are.

“This protest is rooted in compassion and conviction: compassion for our community, for those who are struggling, and for those who have been silenced and conviction that change is not only necessary but possible. We are here to affirm that trans people have a right to be heard, to be protected, and to thrive.

“This is a peaceful protest, but it is not passive. It is bold. It is visible. And it is powerful because it is
grounded in truth, in solidarity, and in love.”

The group added: “To anyone seeing this statement, whether you’re trans, non-binary, questioning, or a supportive ally, know this: you are seen, you are valued, and you are not alone. Walk with us. Stand beside us.

“Our futures are linked, and together, we can create a more just and compassionate world.”

The protest comes just over a month since the UK Supreme Court ruled the legal definition of the protected characteristic of ‘sex’ in the 2010 Equality Act is based on ‘biology’.

The case, For Women Scotland Ltd v Scottish Ministers, was the conclusion of years of legal back and forth between the gender critical group and Scottish government and is expected to have wide-ranging implications for the trans community, as well as organisations, public bodies and services, who will seemingly be forced to update policies on single-sex spaces, inclusion and discrimination.

Following the decision by the court’s justices, the Equality and Human Rights Commission – the UK’s equalities watchdog – issued interim guidance which called for access to single-sex spaces to be based on biology, whereby a trans woman must not be allowed to use a female toilet and a trans man cannot enter a male one. The guidance added that in “some circumstances” trans women should also be banned from the men’s facilities, and trans men from women’s.

Following the protest, organisers said via STRIVE’s official Bluesky account that those who stood topless have their “admiration and gratitude for joining this symbolic protest”.

The group added they are looking to hold future protests in cities such as Glasgow, Cardiff and Manchester.

This is not the first topless protest has been held since the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Earlier in May, a trans group of women stood outside the Scottish parliament building with their shirts off and their arms painted red, which they said was a mark of solidarity with anti-fascist feminists across Europe. Each protester held a white rose to represent the “death of transgender rights in the UK”, and wore tape across their mouths to symbolise the “censorship of trans voices” in the court ruling.

One protester at the topless demonstration in Scotland, Sugar, said the court ruling was “not just a setback of humanitarian rights, it’s an act of erasure”.