A trans rights protest is set to take place in Plymouth city centre this Saturday, 19 April.
The protest will begin at the Plymouth Sundial at 12pm on Saturday and will feature speeches, placards and a public rally.
It follows a landmark legal decision by the UK Supreme Court that has sparked national debate around gender recognition and legal protections for transgender people.
The court ruled that individuals who do not hold a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) cannot be legally recorded as the opposite sex on certain official documents.
The judgment was delivered in the case of a transgender woman who sought to be listed as “mother” on her child’s birth certificate without having obtained a GRC.
The court found that in the absence of a GRC, the birth certificate must reflect biological parenthood as defined in law.
The decision reinforces the framework set out in the Gender Recognition Act 2004, which allows transgender people to change their legal sex only by applying for a GRC.
Critics of the ruling say the process of getting a Gender Recognition Certificate is outdated, complicated and difficult. They believe this creates an unfair barrier that stops transgender people from being fully recognised and respected in everyday life.
While the Supreme Court's decision limits how legal sex is recognised in certain situations, transgender people remain protected under the Equality Act 2010.
The Act prohibits discrimination based on gender reassignment, and those protections apply regardless of whether a GRC has been obtained.
Organisers of Saturday’s protest are calling for reforms to the current legal framework and greater recognition of transgender identities.
Plymouth Plus will be reporting live from the protest on TikTok, providing real-time updates, interviews and on-the-ground coverage.
Follow @PlymouthPlus on TikTok for full live coverage throughout the day.
This protest is one of several being planned across the country as the implications of the court's decision continue to be discussed in legal, political and community spaces.
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