Four Labour MPs have come out swinging in support of trans rights, boldly signing a pledge that states what many in the LGBTQ+ community have been saying for years: trans rights and lesbian rights are not in conflict, and never have been. Charlotte Nichols, Kate Osborne, Olivia Blake, and Nadia Whittome made their stance clear at a Lesbian Visibility Week event, offering a much-needed show of unity after a controversial UK Supreme Court ruling sent shockwaves through queer Britain.
The ruling, which reinterpreted the 2010 Equality Act to define “sex” as strictly biological, was widely seen as a blow to the rights of trans and non-binary individuals. In an 88-page judgment, the court claimed that lesbians “must be female” in a strictly biological sense — a line many viewed as legal reinforcement of exclusionary feminism. But the four MPs weren’t having it. Their signed statement called out “attempts to divide our communities” and vowed to continue standing “united against all forms of transphobia, lesbophobia, and misogyny.”
Real-World Impact on Trans and Butch Lesbians
The MPs’ pledge isn’t just symbolic — it’s a reality check. Osborne, speaking in Parliament, shared deeply personal experiences of being misgendered weekly, even by staff within Westminster. “Just last month, as I got off a train at King’s Cross, I was verbally abused by a man who shouted at me that I was obviously a lesbian, that I was a sexual deviant and that I was going to hell,” she said. “The impact on my life will be problematic, but the impact on my trans siblings’ lives will be significantly worse.”
This isn’t just a debate in the abstract. The reinterpretation of the Equality Act could lead to widespread policy shifts, affecting everything from public services to access to gender-appropriate facilities. It’s particularly alarming for trans women who could now face exclusion from women’s spaces and services, and for butch lesbians who risk being misread and challenged more frequently under stricter definitions.
Feminism Without Solidarity Is Just Gatekeeping
Whittome and her colleagues aren’t mincing words: “There is no pride in exclusion. No feminism without solidarity.” It’s a powerful call for intersectionality, the kind of unapologetic queer solidarity that recognizes the shared struggles and overlapping oppressions within the LGBTQ+ community.
Their statement reads more like a manifesto than a political nicety: “We stand firm. We will not be divided.” It’s the kind of clarity and backbone many in the community have been desperate to see from their elected officials — especially in an era when some political figures seem more interested in scoring points off of trans lives than protecting them.
This act of defiance, coming during Lesbian Visibility Week, carries even more weight. It’s a reminder that real visibility includes solidarity. When legal definitions and political rhetoric try to erase or exclude parts of our community, showing up loudly and united becomes not just resistance, but survival.
For the queer community in the UK — and far beyond — these four MPs just offered a rare glimmer of hope in increasingly hostile times. They didn’t just talk the talk. They signed the damn paper.