100,000 People United for Trans+ Pride 2025

100,000 people took to London's streets for Trans+ Pride 2025, the world's largest Trans Pride march. I was there with Queer Croydon and here's why it was so important.

The numbers tell part of the story. 100,000 people filling central London on a cloudy July day, hundreds of flags catching the breeze. But numbers don't capture what it felt like to be there - the energy, the defiance, the sheer determination of a community refusing to be pushed back into the shadows.

This was Trans+ Pride 2025 and it was historic for all the right reasons.

Pride marches happen every year, but this one felt urgent in a way that cut through the usual celebration. Trans rights are under attack in ways we haven't seen before. Supreme Court decisions narrowing equality protections. New guidance that threatens to write trans people out of existing legislation. Media coverage that treats trans existence as a debate rather than a reality.

When your right to exist becomes a political football, marching isn't just about visibility anymore - it's about survival.

The crowd reflected that urgency. Families with kids on their shoulders, teenagers with glitter, but also people who looked like they'd never protested before but couldn't stay home anymore. Parents clutching signs demanding protection for their trans children. Young people whose futures feel increasingly uncertain.

There's something that happens when you march that can't be replicated online. It's the physical act of taking up space, of refusing to be invisible, of standing shoulder to shoulder with thousands of others who refuse to let you face this alone.

The signs told the real story. "Trans rights are not up for debate." "My existence is not your opinion." "Protect trans kids." Many were heartbreaking in their simplicity - "Let us exist" shouldn't be a radical demand, but here we are.

Walking through London, you couldn't ignore that this was a protest as much as pride. People weren't just celebrating their identities - they were defending them. Against bad laws, hostile media coverage and the idea that trans people should quietly accept being treated as less than human.

In an age of online activism, you might wonder if street protests still achieve anything. Trans+ Pride 2025 proved they absolutely do.

When 100,000 people fill the streets, politicians notice and media outlets notice. Trans people watching from home see they're not alone. But it's more than visibility. Marching builds solidarity in ways that hashtags can't. You're creating bonds that turn individual struggles into collective action.

The march ended, but its impact didn't. We've seen more people engaging with trans rights issues and more conversations happening in communities across the country.

That's what good protests do - they shift the conversation. They make it harder for people to ignore what's happening. For trans people themselves, the march provided something precious - hope.

One march doesn't solve everything. The laws that threaten trans equality are still on the books. Trans people still face discrimination in healthcare, employment and daily life.

But Trans+ Pride 2025 proved something important - this community and its allies won't be bullied into silence. Every attack on trans rights will be met with resistance.

The march is over but the movement continues. Wherever trans people need support, allies need to show up.

Through my work with Queer Croydon, we're committed to practical support as well as solidarity. That's why we run a free RADAR key scheme - no questions asked. If you feel you need a RADAR key to access disabled toilets, just get in touch with Queer Croydon and they'll send you one for free. Access matters and everyone deserves dignity in basic facilities.

The most important thing about that cloudy July day wasn't the record-breaking attendance or the media coverage. It was the reminder that when we stand together, when we refuse to let fear divide us, when we insist on treating all people with dignity and respect - we're unstoppable.

Trans+ Pride 2025 presented everyone with a choice. You can stand with trans people or you can stand against them. You can support equality or you can enable discrimination.

100,000 people made their choice that day. They chose solidarity over fear, love over hate, progress over prejudice.

This article originally appeared on: https://queercroydon.com/100000-strong-the-power-of-trans-pride-2025