“We will always fight: for trans rights”: UK dance music slams Supreme Court ruling on trans rights – DJ Mag

Homoelectric, Gloss, FOLD, and HE.SHE.THEY are among the collectives speaking out against the ruling 
The UK’s dance music community has widely condemned a Supreme Court ruling which excludes trans women from the legal definition of a woman in England, Scotland and Wales. 
The ruling, which was unanimously passed in Britain’s highest court yesterday (16th April), states that “the terms ‚women‘ and ‚sex‘ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex“. The decision definitively excludes trans women who possess a gender recognition certificate (GRC) from numerous services, spaces and protections against discrimination afforded to cis women under the Equality Act 2010. 
Despite the Supreme Court’s insistence that trans people do still have protection from discrimination and harassment through the Equality Act, the decision, which has been broadly welcomed by UK politicians, has been slammed by the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. Venues, collectives and other nightlife spokespeople are among those speaking out against the verdict, outlining the risks of increased harassment, prejudice and exclusion faced by an already-vulnerable marginalised group. 
London’s FOLD, PXSSY PALACE, HE.SHE.THEY, Dalston Superstore, Queer House Party and Body Movements, Manchester’s Homoelecric and Gloss, Bristol’s Raise the NRG and Rat Party in Leeds are among those to have issued statements of support for the trans community in the wake of the ruling. 
„This decision has been welcomed by the current Labour government, emphasising just how far backwards this once self-proclaimed ‚progressive‘ government has fallen, as it chooses instead to align itself with bigoted, billionaire authors and far-right populists,“ FOLD wrote. „We wish to send so much love to every trans person today.“
„We know that moments like this can be exhausting and painful, but please remember: you are not alone, you are seen, you are valid, and you are loved,“ a post on the Gloss Instagram page read. „Now more than ever, we must show up for one another. Reach out. Check in. Offer support, and take care of yourselves and each other.“ 
„Our dance floors are built on queer liberation — spaces where all trans and non-binary people are celebrated, protected, and free,“ said London festival Body Movements in response to the decision. „We will always fight: for trans rights. For trans joy. For trans futures.“ 
Queer House Party referred to the ruling as „a direct attack on trans people“ that „gives legal cover to discrimination“. „We won’t accept a future where the law is used to punish people for who they are,” they wrote. “And we will not stand by while the state tries to divide our communities.“
HE.SHE.THEY wrote: „You’re still OUR family and no one can erase who you know you are.“
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has confirmed the verdict will now trigger an update to its code of conduct for public services including NHS healthcare providers and the prison system.
Access to spaces such as changing rooms, hospital wards and domestic refuges will no longer take into consideration GRCs. As such, trans people — who make up just 0.5% of the UK population according to advocacy group Stonewall — will be forced to use facilities designated to their birth gender. Stonewall has called the verdict „incredibly worrying for the trans community.“
 
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