Attitude joins over 100 organisations backing trans equality in full-page Metro ad
The initiative by Stonewall and Diva magazine comes after an anti-trans advert was run in the paper last week.
By Will Stroude
Image: Twitter / @JoeyKnock
Words: Will Stroude
Attitude has joined over 100 other organisations to back transgender equality in a full-page advert printed in the Metro newspaper today (17 October).
The initiative by Stonewall and Diva magazine encouraging people to #ComeOutForTransEquality has been supported by businesseses including ITV, Tesco, Channel 4 and Barclays, as well as charities and public sector bodies including the Terrence Higgins Trust, the Albert Kennedy Trust and GCHQ.
The move comes a week after Metro – the UK’s most-read newspaper – was criticised for running an advert from anti-trans group Fiar Play for Women.
The full-page advert encouraging people to “Say NO to sex self-ID” came as the government prepares to close its public consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) 2004.
The consultation, which closes on Friday (19 October), will assess how to make it easier for transgender people to legally change their gender.
The Stonewall and Diva advert printed in today’s Metro is deisgned to a message of solidarity to trans people across the UK who continue to face bigotry and hate simply for being themselves.
It reads: “To all our trans family, colleagues, customers and friends, we are proud to stand alongside you in the fight for trans equality.
“We support your right to be yourself and you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in all parts of daily life.
“We will keep on playing our part to make that happen and we send you our support and strength in the face of the hostility directed at you. We are proud to come out for trans equality.”
In a statement, Stonewall said: “We, along with our partner organisations, have created this advert to show our unwavering support for trans equality.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen a disturbing increase in hate directed at trans people in the media and online.
“We wanted to send out a clear message: we’re proud to stand with our trans family, colleagues, customers and friends and we will keep working, together, until we achieve equality for trans people everywhere.
“We encourage people to join our campaign to Come Out for Trans Equality and make sure they are being visible allies to trans people.”