Support grows as teenage trans activists enter their third day of protest at NHS England’s Headquarters

LONDON, 1 July 2024—Two young trans activists scaled the NHS England’s London headquarters at 133–135 Waterloo Road in London on Saturday to stage a protest and have remained there ever since. The group, now made up of seven young protesters, all 18 or under, has one simple message: Trans Kids Deserve Better: we are not pawns for your politics.

The powerful direct action has been organised by the “​​Trans Kids Deserve Better” network, which is calling for: access to gender affirming healthcare for trans children and young people, protection from discrimination and disrespect in their daily lives and the right to be heard in all decisions that affect them.

Their protest comes in the wake of the government using emergency powers to ban all access to puberty blockers in the UK, a move that was supported by Labour’s Wes Streeting, likely to be the next Secretary of State for Health. It also comes in the context of a General Election campaign where trans people and trans youth have been used as ‘culture war’ talking points, but not allowed to speak for themselves.

“We are staging this protest to remind politicians and voters that we’re real kids, not just political talking points. We may not have a vote, but it is our lives that are at stake,” said one of the activists staging the protest. “Gender-affirming healthcare is a matter of life and death for us, and we hope that our actions will bring awareness to this fact and encourage others to fight for the healthcare and dignity that we are so shamefully denied.”

Since the protest began on Friday, support for the young activists has grown rapidly.

"The amount of trans joy being hurled up to this ledge is beyond incredible. We've never felt more loved or more powerful. The community is rising, and we're not backing down," one of the activists said.

Prominent LGBTQIA+ community voices have voiced their support:

• Lisa Power (she/her), Stonewall co-founder and LGBTQIA+ campaigner, said:
  “My heart leaped when I saw what they’d done; it’s good to see young people taking direct action against injustice and the queer community has been missing its spirit for a while. Fittingly for Pride month, I’m proud of them.”

• Roz Kaveney (she/her), Gay Liberation Front veteran and author, said:
  “As someone who has always been so terrified of heights that even stilettos were a problem, I am lost in admiration for the gallantry of these kids. Right from the start, in GLF, we always knew Pride had to be a protest as much as a party. They're fighting injustice in a brilliant, brave way: I'm proud of them and scared for them.”

• Dr Ronx (they/them), emergency medicine doctor and TV personality, said:
  “My passion is young people. I want them to stay alive, survive and thrive. It is our job as adults to support our young people, even when we don’t understand their lived experiences.We as adults must centre their humanities away from the politics of the world. Trans young people need us all to fight for them. They aren’t political fodder, they are experiencing healthcare injustices resulting in increased levels of physical and mental pain and death by suicide. Trust me and trust my peers when we say support us to support them. As a trans non-binary doctor I see and hear the struggles of trans youth in and away from work. It’s real. Can we just stop infighting as adults and come together for our youth? I pledge to always centre the humanity of trans young people, will you join me?”

• Dee Whitnell (all pronouns), Trans Kids Deserve to Grow Up, said:
  “These young people are tired of having their identities debated, erased and dismissed. They have decided to take action for their future, and the future of other trans+ young people. They are extremely brave.”

• Chay Brown (he/him), Director, TransActual, said:
  “Trans people have suffered as a result of the so-called ‘culture war’. Political interference has prevented progress on human rights and resulted in extremely damaging policy making. Trans youth have been targeted, with little consideration from politicians about the impact their words and actions have on those they’re talking about. Recent changes to policy around puberty blockers in particular have led to a mental health crisis amongst trans youth, and sadly this has resulted in deaths.”

Photos for press use are available here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aUJlZbvPL38btd3gHzSdqgdvHDczpCV8?usp=sharing

To learn more about the Trans Kids Deserve Better action network, visit https://transkidsdeservebetter.org

Corrections (updated 17:10pm BST, 1 July 2024):

• The press release previously misstated the day the activists originally scaled the building. The date was Saturday, 29 June 2024, not Friday.

• The press release previously misstated Dr Ronx's medical specialty. They are an emergency medicine doctor, not a paediatrician.

Please credit: Trans Kids Deserve Better