Yasmin Finney radiates pure trans joy as she leads London Trans+ Pride crowd in defiant chants
Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney led the crowd at London Trans+ Pride in a joyful chant of ‘Trans rights are human rights! Period!’ (PinkNews)
Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney served up true trans excellence as she whipped up London’s Trans+ Pride crowd into a joyful and defiant chant amid the rain.
Since making her debut in Netflix’s heartwarming smash hit series, the openly trans teen has skyrocketed to stardom in the entertainment world and landed a starring role in the newest Doctor Who series.
But throughout it all, Finney has taken the time to spread trans joy wherever she goes, and the London Trans+ Pride event on Saturday (8 July) was no exception.
As rain fell on London, the Heartstopper icon, looking truly radiant in a gorgeous sheer lace slip dress, danced joyfully while holding a trans Pride flag as she stood at the base of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square.
Finney led the hundreds gathered at the historic central London site in a beautiful chant celebrating the trans community and the event.
“It’s Trans Pride everybody! What time is it?” she said, shouting “Trans Pride!” along with the members of the crowd.
Yasmin Finney then led the crowd in proudly chanting “trans rights are human rights”. She ended the strong message with a defiant: “Period!”
The crowd surrounding her screamed as they waved signs in solidarity with the trans community. Some held up placards reading “let trans youth bloom” and “trans rights now” while others carried a giant banner proudly stating that the “future is queer”.
London Trans+ Pride is a gathering for those advocating for trans rights, equality and freedom not only in the UK – but also worldwide. The event honours the loss of trans lives, but it is also a rallying cry for people trying to improve the lives of the current and next generation trans people.
It’s been a difficult year for trans and non-binary people with anti-trans violence only increasing and political attacks against trans rights taking place across the globe.
In the past year, the trans community and allies mourned the death of trans teen Brianna Ghey, who was stabbed to death in Warrington on 11 February. In a statement on Facebook, London Trans+ Pride organisers described the incident as “a brutal and horrific attack that has left the community reeling”.
At last year’s London Trans+ Pride, just months after the Heartstopper cast became household names, Finney discussed the significance of her role as Elle, a trans teen, in the Netflix show.
“I was cast as Elle – for those of you who haven’t seen [Heartstopper], she’s a Black trans girl – she’s just moved to an all-girls’ school and she’s trying to navigate the world in a society that’s trying to eradicate her,” she said.
“Having this representation on screen has made me realise how impactful it is. The industry is changing because I’m here.
“And how many of you have seen Doctor Who? Yes, that’s also a moment and that’s another show where my character is trans.”
The trans trailblazer has also used her platform to defiantly call out then-prime minister Boris Johnson for leading the Conservative government that is “trying to eradicate us”. But Finney declared the trans community will remain strong and keep “duplicating”.
“So Boris, I hope you see Heartstopper; I hope you see Doctor Who, because I exist,” she said. “And I know you know I exist. We all exist. And we’re not going anywhere. Period.”
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