Teenage trans activists confront Wes Streeting

CONWAY HALL, LONDON, 25/03/2025- At a Guardian discussion, 2 young activists from Trans Kids Deserve Better confronted Wes Streeting. The action network have left a paper coffin outside Wes Streeting's constituency office in Ilford for 200 days since he announced that the puberty blocker ban would continue. Today, forgoing the regular coffin drop, one activist went up and personally handed Wes a coffin, reading 'Could you bear to look us in the eye and tell us that you'll let us die?'. Another activist stood up and addressed Wes directly, saying "Wes Streeting, every day tkdb drops off a coffin at your constituency. You accept £175,000 from private donations, yet you deny trans kids a voice. Instead, you value the opinions of 8 anti trans groups. When banning puberty blockers you interact with parents who believe in abusing us, showing them your support and sympathy. Why not us? Listen to us. Our lives are on the line." Before they could finish, a member of the audience reached over a chair, trying to pull him down.

In a statement from Woodlouse, one of the activists, he explained "I am partaking in this action because I am tired of Wes Streeting ignoring the community he directly affects with his actions. Wes refuses to even look children in the eyes as he takes away our rights, our hope, and our fucking dignity.

Trans healthcare is life-saving. This is a fact that has been proven time and time again. However Wes chooses to ignore this. Over trans people, he continuously values the opinions of groups that wish to eradicate the existence of genderqueer kids. He does not care about our suffering. He only wishes to grow his popularity, as opposed to support his community as a gay man.

Wes is killing trans kids in the name of his image, and I refuse to let this happen without consequences."

In a statement from the other activist involved, Tomfool, he says "I'm taking part in this action because Wes Streeting has had so many chances to listen to trans children, but he's actively choosing to ignore us. We've tried to reach out to him. We've dropped a coffin at his door 200 times now - I personally made many of those, I dropped some of those at his constituency office. Near the beginning, we were taunted with the promise of a meeting with him that never happened. Made to believe, hope, that he could listen to us about our own healthcare, just to be ghosted.

He has ignored our voices and taken away our healthcare; we have been given no dignity. He is capable of listening; he certainly listened to anti-trans groups about the decision to ban puberty blockers for trans kids, yet he didn't speak to us. He values the opinions of transphobes and of the adults that abuse us over our experiences which prove why we need access to puberty blockers.

I want to hand him a coffin directly, in person. To make him look a trans child in the eyes and face his fucking actions. I know he can feel our blood on his hands, and I hope it haunts him enough to make him realise he's doing the wrong thing."

This was one of 3 disruptions to the evening – collaborating with Climate Resistance on their 'Abolish Billionaires' campaign. As long as the wealthy elite chuck money at Wes Streeting and as long as he callously accepts it, there will be no healthcare justice.

Trans kids deserve better.

Find footage and photos here