UK DJs and musicians sign open letter of solidarity to the trans community

A number of UK DJs, musicians and music industry figures have come together to sign an open letter of solidarity to the trans community.

Responding to a recent UK Supreme Court ruling which states that “the terms ‘women’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex”, the letter offers its support to the trans, non-binary and intersex communities who have been affected. The controversial ruling has definitively excluded trans women who possess a gender recognition certificate (GRC) from numerous services, spaces and protections against discrimination afforded to cis women under the Equality Act 2010. 

Among those who have signed the letter are Charli xcx, Floating Points, I. JORDAN, Four Tet, Jessie Ware, Mura Masa, Shygirl, Neneh Cherry, salute, Saoirse and The xx’s Oliver Sim.

The letter reads: “The UK music industry is a vibrant, diverse landscape that thrives on creativity and inclusivity. We have long celebrated a multitude of voices and identities, and the music industry here in the UK is one of our most trailblazing and culturally vital assets – one which trans, intersex and non-binary people are woven into in every aspect of the industry, past, present and future. We must now urgently work to ensure that our trans, non-binary, and intersex colleagues, collaborators, and audiences are protected from discrimination and harassment in all areas of the industry – whether in studios, at venues, in offices, or at festivals.”

It adds that ” this [Supreme Court] ruling not only undermines the lived reality and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary, and intersex people living in the UK but also weakens legal protections at a time when trans people face rising hate crime, discrimination and systemic barriers”.

Read the full letter and its list of signatories here. If you work in the UK music industry and wish to sign the letter, you can do so here.

Upon the ruling’s announcement in April, numerous artists, venues, collectives and nightlife spokespeople spoke out against the verdict, outlining the risks of increased harassment, prejudice and exclusion it would trigger toward by an already-vulnerable marginalised group. London’s FOLD, PXSSY PALACE, HE.SHE.THEY, Dalston Superstore, Queer House Party and Body Movements, Manchester’s Homoelecric and Gloss, Bristol’s Raise the NRG and Rat Party in Leeds were among those to have issued statements of support for the trans community in the wake of the ruling.