As integral as trans people have been in advancing LGBT rights, we are still an often overlooked minority and trans rights have have lagged decades behind. After Leeds LGBT Pride 2017, many in the community felt that trans people needed better visibility than what had previously been achieved at LGBT+ events.
Trans Pride Leeds began in 2018 as a joint effort between TransLeeds and Nonbinary Leeds, and was the first ever Trans Pride in the North of England.
Trans Day of Visiblility on 31st March was chosen as a fitting occasion to build it around. A series of core events were arranged over the Easter bank holiday weekend with independent events hosted by the community during the week before and after.
On the Friday there were talks, discussions and performances as well as stalls led by the community in Kirkgate Market, the largest indoor market in Europe, for maximum visibility.
On Saturday we marched! Over 200 people braved the weather and marched straight through the city centre on a bank holiday weekend.
Staying true to the roots of Pride, this was a protest march. Chants such as “When trans rights are under attack, what do we do? FIGHT BACK!” and “We’re here! We’re queer! We will not live in fear!”
On Sunday we teamed up with the Leeds Queer Film Festival to host a day of films at Live Art Bistro created by talented trans film makers across the country.
The day finished with talks and Q&A from non-binary filmmakers and activists Fox & Owl.
