13 fabulous photos of Blackpool's pro-trans rally against gender ruling

Protesters from the LGBT+ community were joined by supporters for the peaceful demonstration on the Comedy Carpet on Sunday.

Those taking part were invited to share their personal stories and explain why they are worried and unhappy about the ruling.

The judgement last Wednesday ruled that that when the Equality Act 2010 referred to women, it referred only to their biological sex at birth and did not include transgender women who hold a gender recognition certificate (GRC).

Although the decision was welcomed by some, who voiced concerns that women’s safety was threatened by allowing transgender women into single-sex spaces, members of the trans community believe it is a step backwards.

Lord Hodge said that trans people were still protected from discrimination and harassment under the Equality Act.

However, some trans people believe it will now be more difficult to challenge unfair treatment and receive support from authorities which could help them.

The demonstration was staged jointly by Blackpool-based Her-House Collective and Potbound, an artists studio in St Annes.

Izzy Durose, of Potbound, said: “Our studio is an LGBT-safe space, where there is support for anyone transitioning and where people are free to be who they are.

“So we felt it important to show the community across the Blackpool area that we have their back. This ruling has made members of the LBGT community feel less secure and there’s real concern about it.

“We were amazed by the turn-out - there were more than 100 people there and some of them came from as far away as the Lake District. Having that support was fantastic.”