A trans rights group staged a powerful die-in protest in Nottingham city centre to demand justice from the Labour government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), while highlighting the dangers and discrimination faced by trans people in the UK today.
The demonstration, organised by Nottingham Against Transphobia, took place on Saturday afternoon (16 August) outside Nottingham Council House in Market Square.
The protest followed reports in The Times about a leaked version of the EHRC’s finalised guidance, which allegedly advises service providers to exclude trans people from single-sex facilities and services, such as changing rooms, hospital wards, and sporting competitions.
The guidance, expected to mirror a draft issued in April, came in the wake of the For Women Scotland vs Scottish Ministers Supreme Court case, where judges ruled the Equality Act’s legal definition of “sex” does not extend to trans people.
The EHRC’s draft proposals caused outrage earlier this year by suggesting that trans women and men could be barred not only from services aligning with their gender but also — in “some circumstances” — from those aligned with their sex assigned at birth. These circumstances were later clarified as situations where “reasonable objection” could be raised, such as when a trans person’s appearance was deemed “too masculine.”
The protest and symbolism
Dozens of protesters joined the Nottingham action, lying silently on the ground as the sound of a steady heartbeat played from loudspeakers. The visual, a classic form of non-violent protest, aimed to symbolise how government policies and guidance put trans lives at risk.
One demonstrator, dressed as the Grim Reaper and wearing a mask with the face of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, stood ominously among the “bodies,” embodying trans campaigners’ fears of political betrayal and neglect.
A die-in protest uses the imagery of death to raise awareness of the harmful impact of policies. Similar actions have been staged before, including by Trans Kids Deserve Better, who held a die-in at London’s Victoria Station in November 2024.
Calls for accountability
As part of the protest, Nottingham Against Transphobia urged local Labour MPs Alex Norris (Nottingham North and Kimberley) and Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South) to take a public stand against the EHRC’s controversial guidance.
In a statement to PinkNews, organisers said: “Nottingham Against Transphobia is organising a peaceful, community-led die-in because the EHRC and Labour are pushing trans people out of public life and pushing people to self-harm.”
