Thousands of protestors took to the streets of London yesterday as part of the annual Trans+ Pride event, which aims to celebrate and champion the lives of the trans+ community (transgender, non-binary, intersex and gender non-conforming people) all over the country and demand equal rights.

The march, which started at Wellington Arch and made its way to Soho Square, saw thousands of trans+ people and allies alike take to the streets with flags and placards adorned with phrases such as “trans rights are human rights” and “Black trans lives matter”.

Among the protestors were celebrities such as Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon-Boulash, Hollyoaks actor Ki Griffin, London-based performance artist and DJ Lewis G Burton and model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, the latter of whom was the first to stand up and address the large crowd in Soho Square once the march came to an end. 

Alongside thanking everyone for turning up and celebrating together, Bergdorf used her speech to honour what being trans means to her – and encourage those in the trans+ community to continue taking up space no matter who tries to silence them.

“To me, transness is divinity in its purest sense,” she said. “To live in a world that does not see you, that ignores your suffering, that legislates against your existence, that strives to control your bodily autonomy, that simultaneously fetishises you and dehumanises our image. That is divine: to resist that daily.”

She continued: “Still, we show up, and we show out. And we keep on going. To me, that is divine. That is strength. That is worthy of love, respect and peace.

“You only need to look around to see how many of us there truly are. No matter how isolated we have felt in our past, we are no longer silenced, we are no longer in the shadows, we are here. Take up this space. This space is yours.”

Below are some of the most powerful photos from yesterday’s event.  

Images: Getty