Lesbian anti-trans protestors disrupt Swansea Pride
Anti-trans protestors at Swansea Pride. (Twitter/Angela C Wild)
Two women from a lesbian feminist group were moved on by police after blocking the Swansea Pride parade.
The protestors held banners reading “lesbians don’t have penises” and “trans activism erases lesbianism” as the parade got underway on Saturday (May 4).
Both were members of Get The L Out, a lesbian separatist organisation which rallies against the purported erasure of lesbians by pride organisations, and opposes “any kind of misogynistic politics and systems that prioritise men’s interests.” The group places transgender rights under this umbrella.
In a statement, the protestors wrote: “We walked in front of the march but backwards so that the banners would be visible to the demonstrators including to the security staff and to the police.
“We did not stop walking or delay the parade. Immediately we were faced by police and security staff who physically stood in front of us and we felt aggression and hostility from their part.”
Police move lesbian protestors on at Swansea Pride
A video shared to YouTube shows a confrontation with two police officers.
“The security and police tried to manhandle us, touched us on several occasions, touched our banners and tried to take them down and told us repeatedly that we had to leave,” the statement continued.
“We asked: ‘Are lesbians not allowed on this march?’ and got no answers.
“We asked why we were asked to leave that we had a right to be here as it is a public place. We were told we were ‘spoiling’ the parade.”
“We were told we were ‘spoiling’ the parade.”
—Get The L Out
The women have accused officers and security staff of “grabbing” and “cornering them.”
A South Wales Police statement given to Wales Online attempted to clarify the matter.
“Two protesters on the parade’s route were asked to move to the side of the road,” it read.
“A demonstrator who initially didn’t do so was moved by officers to ensure everyone’s safety.
Police officers moving on protestors at Swansea Pride.(YouTube)
“No arrests were made. The protesters were allowed to continue with their protest.”
Parade organisers said that it was “aware of an incident during the parade.”
“Swansea Pride supports inclusion and the diversity of our whole community,” organisers said on Twitter.
“We are grateful to the many hundreds who took part in the parade and to South Wales Police for ensuring the parade was safe.”
Get The L Out ‘hijacked’ Pride in London
In July 2018, Get The L Out “hijacked” Pride in London, with protestors forcing their way to the front of the parade armed with banners similar to those deployed in Swansea.
PinkNews spoke to several of the protestors at the time, including one who said: “We want to get the L out of Pride. A man cannot be a lesbian, a person with a penis cannot be a lesbian.”
Another said: “Men are saying they are trans, they are lesbians and they pressure lesbians to have sex with them.”
Pride in London faced heavy criticism for allowing the protest to continue along the entire parade route, a decision it later apologised for.
Organisers said: “Their behaviour was shocking and disgusting, and we condemn it completely.”
