We Are Sorry - We're Listening.

Our recent statement caused hurt. We take responsibility, we are listening, and we are committed to making it right.

We are sorry.

Genuinely sorry.

A couple of days ago we published a statement regarding the UK’s biggest pride events banning political parties from attending. We do continue to hold the position that this is a bad decision but we understand that the approach we took was unreasonable and we rightfully heard back from the community on that. We believe that political party involvement in Pride should be conditional and based on record.

It is important now for us to learn from this knowing that we have made a mistake in how we presented our case. 

I (Avery, Co-chair) understand our community’s hurt right now, I am a transgender woman - seeing all of your comments was a powerful and painful reminder of how much we are all really hurting right now. That hurt is not to be ignored, that’s why we fight and that’s why I still Co-chair this organisation. But, I never expected our organisation to add to this hurt, we were reckless in throwing a statement together and it is only right that I, alongside our very capable and determined committee make this right to you.

In our statement, we referred to the pushback our organisation faces from all angles and included our own community within this - this was not necessary. It is wrong for us to have latched onto this important decision with a statement about our own struggles as an organisation. Instead of focusing on why the ban on political parties was implemented, which we only did very briefly, we focused on how it impacted us, our party and the organisation. 

So what are we doing to fix this? Yesterday, members of our committee met to discuss the next steps for us as an organisation, making sure that our message is focused on the task at hand and the real problem we face - discrimination inside the Labour Party. Our Co-chairs have had productive discussions with members of the community, not defending ourselves but asking “What would you like to see from us?” because our community’s input should be the foundation for what we do. We understand that not everyone will respect us, especially with Labour in our name, but we are determined to earn that respect by campaigning inside and outside of the party. 

We will be spending these next weeks strategising properly so we can make sure that Trans Liberation, wider LGBTQ+ Representation and Justice are fully at the centre of what we're doing - this will require the community’s input. In the meantime, we will be having a small hiatus on our socials to make sure that in future our message is respectful, relevant and radical. Thank you to everyone who has contributed on the way, and we are sorry.

We acknowledge that for many of our community, the Labour Party has not earned the benefit of the doubt. From platforming transphobic rhetoric to sidelining queer voices, it has repeatedly shown a disregard for the safety and dignity of LGBTQIA+ people. We see the party’s line as a betrayal of trans people and will continue to treat it as such. We will fight them at every turn as we have always done until they do right by us. This has left a scar, one that will never heal and will never be forgotten – and rightfully so.