A group of lesbian activists blocked the start of the Pride in London march today (7 July) in protest against transgender women.
A group of eight women stormed the parade route without accreditation. Then five of them laid down on the road in front of the parade and draped a banner over them.
The banner read: ‘Transactivism erases lesbians’.
They then blocked the parade route for about 10 minutes. One of the activists shouted out: ‘A man who says he’s a lesbian is a rapist’
The group also had a banner that said ‘Lesbian = female homosexual’, as well as flyers with the organization ‘Get the L out’ as the headline.
The flyer states: ‘The trans movement is… coercing lesbians to have sex with men. We firmly condemn this vicious form of anti-lesbianism disguised as progress.’
Lesbian activist: ‘Only women can be lesbians’
Speaking to Gay Star News, Jan Williams from Object said: ‘Transgenderism is conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is wrong.’
She continued: ‘Only women can be lesbians. A man who has surgery can never be a lesbian.’
Sarah Mason, founder of Get The L Out, told GSN: ‘It’s a coalition of individual lesbians and feminists. It’s also feminist organizations such as Object, Mayday 4 Women, Critical Sisters and Lesbian Rights Alliance.’
She said her sexuality is seen as transphobic and exclusive ‘just because we are women attracted to women.’
‘We don’t want any kind of penis in our bedroom,’ she said. ‘I’m really sad I have to reassert this again.
‘It’s everywhere online – it’s everywhere in LGBTQ centres,’ she said.
Gay Star News reached out to Pride in London for comment. Watch coverage of Pride in London 2018 including the start of the hijacked parade:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSi2wJPnOX8
UPDATE: A Pride in London spokesperson told Gay Star News:
‘Every year, Pride is attended by hundreds of thousands of people who demonstrate that Pride still matters. Given the hot weather and in the interest of the safety for everyone attending today’s event, the parade group was allowed to move ahead.
‘We do not condone their approach and message and hope the actions of a very small number people does not overshadow the messages of the 30,000 people marching today,’ the spokesperson said.
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