If you are a local resident who supports and welcomes trans people, please add your signature to this open letter:

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The issue

As a resident of this community,  I was saddened to read the article 'All About Eve' published in the Hastings Independent Press. The piece repeats many familiar but misleading ‘gender critical’ talking points that do not represent my views.  Moreover, they do not reflect the reality of law, evidence, or the values of Hastings and its residents.

East Sussex is among the most LGBT-inclusive areas of the UK. Brighton is one of the world’s largest Trans Pride events outside the US, with 30,000 people attending Trans Pride Brighton in 2025.  And Hastings has recently become home to its own Trans Pride, with Trans Pride Hastings proudly supported by local people and businesses. By repeating this divisive rhetoric, such articles risk undermining that cohesion and send a damaging message to our trans neighbours, colleagues, friends and families. Our community in Hastings thrives on inclusion.  I am therefore signing this letter in support of the trans community in Hastings and against the misinformation and slurs contained in the above article.  

Details - Refuting misinformation in the article

1. “Sex means biological sex.”
The recent Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers did not secure women’s rights - it rolled back protections for trans people and also, indirectly, all women. By trying to reduce “sex” to “biological sex,” the court has created legal uncertainty that trans-hostile lobby groups are exploiting, according to United Nations’ human rights experts. Anti-trans lobby groups are trying to expand the ruling beyond the 2010 Equality Act and to exclude trans people from services and spaces they’ve safely accessed for years. The Equality Act 2010 was designed to protect both women and trans people, but the EHRC has since issued misleading interim guidance encouraging exclusion rather than inclusion. Far from being a “win for women”, this ruling risks eroding hard-won rights for trans people while doing nothing to improve safety or dignity for anyone.

2. “There is no evidence gender-affirming care helps young people.”
 This is false. The British Medical Association (BMA) and the World Health Organization recognise gender-affirming care as essential, life-affirming and potentially life-saving. Multiple studies show that access to puberty blockers and hormones reduces depression and suicidality among trans youth (see Turban et al, 2021). The British Medical Association, the Royal College of GPs and the Royal College of Psychiatrists all opposed the Government's ban on puberty blockers.

3. “Trans women in women’s spaces are a safety risk.”
 There is no evidence to support this claim.  Studies have found no increase in safety or privacy violations in areas with trans-inclusive policies. UK services have long operated inclusively without issue. Suggesting otherwise is a derogatory slur and stigmatises a marginalised group without basis.

4. “Most people support the ‘gender critical’ view.”
 Polling consistently shows the opposite. A YouGov survey (2022) found a majority of Britons believe trans people deserve the same rights as everyone else, or are indifferent. In the UK, the Not In Our Name (NION) Women letter has over 41,000 signatures from cis women explicitly standing with the trans community, showing that trans people are welcome and accepted by many.

5. “Women are silenced for speaking up.”
 In fact, ‘gender critical’ groups have significant media and political influence while trans or trans-supportive voices are routinely excluded from the UK media. What is often framed as “silencing” is in reality accountability: communities and organisations speaking up and disagreeing with exclusionary views because they harm vulnerable people. That is not censorship, it is empathy and solidarity.

Why this matters for Hastings

Hastings is a place where LGBTQ+ people come to live, work, and build families precisely because it is welcoming and inclusive. Trans Pride, queer-run businesses, and supportive neighbours are part of our local identity. For a small but vocal minority to try to stoke fear and division not only harms trans people but weakens the fabric of our community.

It is also concerning that trans-inclusive comments on the HIP website were reportedly deleted while trans-exclusionary ones were left standing. That creates a distorted view of local opinion - one that does not reflect the broad support for inclusion we see in our streets, schools and businesses.

A call for responsible journalism

At a time when trans people are under relentless attack nationally, with the Lemkin Institute recently placing a ‘red flag’ on the UK for its treatment of trans people, local papers like HIP have an even greater responsibility. Hastings Independent Press should not amplify divisive rhetoric that endangers community cohesion. Instead, it should reflect what Hastings is truly about: community, welcome, inclusion and pride.

Trans people are not outsiders here, they are our neighbours, our friends, our co-workers, our loved ones. Hastings must continue to be a place where they know they belong.

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Thank you for your support and for signing this letter. 

*** PLEASE NOTE: When you sign the letter you will be sent an e-mail which you will need to click on to confirm your signature.   You will also be prompted by Change.org to make a donation.  Be aware that any donations made through Change.org go directly to Change.org and to promoting this letter through the Change.org platform.  If you wish to donate, we encourage you to support a local trans charity, such as Trans Pride Hastings, or trans-supportive campaign by donating directly to them.***