On Sunday 27 April, the recently established ‘Oxford for Trans Rights’ group, composed of students, staff and members of the local community, proceeded through the streets of Oxford city centre. This protest comes in the wake of the recent UK Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday 16 April that defined a woman on the basis of biological sex. The decision is one that has been met with both significant backlash and support. Notably, J.K. Rowling – a figure who has opposed the inclusion of transgender women under the label of women – posted on X the day after the ruling stating, “I love it when a plan comes together.”, with an image of her smoking a cigar. Much of the discourse around the protest has been focused on people known as “TERFs” (transgender exclusionary radical feminists). In 2020, Rowling used her platform to express her views about trans women after posting a tweet entitled “TERF wars”. This protest represented an expression of discontent at the ruling, but also an assembly of a community “com[ing] together as a community” and “calling for liberation”. 

The university’s stance on amendments to policy in terms of single-sex spaces is, as yet, unclear. In a recent update published on the University of Oxford website, the “strength of feeling” within the university community was noted. The update also highlights the university’s commitment to maintaining an environment that respects “the rights and dignity of all members of our community”. 

The protest began in Bonn Square, opposite Westgate where masks and cards with information detailing what to do if you get arrested were handed out. After half an hour of chants and speeches, the gathering became a march. The pace was set by those in wheelchairs as part of a disabled bloc, allowing everyone involved to be able to keep up. The march moved past St Peter’s College and up St George’s Street. The demonstration attracted attention as it began to move down Cornmarket Street, filling the street completely. However, it was only when the procession began moving down St Aldate’s that the extent of the protest became apparent. The protest filled the entirety of St Aldate’s, from the top of the hill to beyond Christ Church meadows. The protest finally coalesced around the town hall, where a second round of speeches and chants began. 

A reporter from The Oxford Blue spoke to one of the protestors who is also a member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), a “revolutionary socialist party” with a mission to combat “oppression, exploitation, and environmental destruction”. They stated that “trans women are not the threat”, and referenced an article in The Irish Times that investigated whether there was any substance to the claim that trans women having access to female-only spaces would lead to an increase in predatory behaviour. They found that the results there have been no reports of sexual assault or predatory behaviour since the law was changed about who a women is in 2015. 

Protestors employed several tactics during the proceedings; there was no shortage of colourful and creative banners, flags, and placards. One of the many flags that could be seen during the protest is pictured below. 

In conjunction with this, there were a variety of chants occurring for the duration of the protest. Prior to the protest, an Instagram post by the organisers of the event suggested chants that may be used during the event, some of which are included in the list of chants below that one reporter from The Oxford Blue heard:

  • “Blood on your hands” (Referring to Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting, and J. K. Rowling)
  • “No borders, no nation / trans liberation” 
  • “We here, we’re queer, we will not live in fear”
  • “Bottoms, tops, we hate TERFs, we hate cops” 
  • “Trans rights are human rights”

The protest demonstrated Oxford’s capacity as a student body to assemble in significant numbers over matters they feel passionately about, and this is not something that will change soon. The future of single-sex spaces both inside and outside of Oxford is unclear currently, and it will be interesting to see how the university handles this drastic ruling. 

The Oxford Blue received the following statement from Oxford for Trans Rights (OTR) regarding the protest:

“The local trans community and allies from all walks of life came out in force on Sunday to challenge the Supreme Court’s ruling and the EHRC’s subsequent attempts to legislate trans people out of public life. OTR is proud to have seen the strength of support and solidarity in Oxford, with over a thousand people gathering to march in central Oxford at short notice. Despite the Labour government making their intentions towards the trans community clear, the people of Oxford have shown that they stand for inclusion, and in support of trans liberation.”