They wrote in an email to What The Trans:
To whom it may concern,
I am a representative of BASH BACK, a trans led direct action group devoted to tackling the rising tide of transphobia in the UK. As I write this, actionists are conducting our first action at Wes Streeting’s office in Ilford North.
Wes Streeting, as you well know, is responsible for a heinous ban on puberty blockers for trans youth, as well as a swathe of other restrictions on transgender people’s healthcare rights.
He is also, according to at least one legal professional, personally responsible for covering up reports of the deaths of trans young people under the care of NHS England. Every day, trans people are dying as a result of his policies and his inaction.
As trans people, we refuse to take this lying down any longer. We have chosen to take action to demonstrate that we will not be victimised or scapegoated by Streeting and his ilk any longer. We will not allow more of our loved ones to be to be harrassed, to be legislated, to be excluded, to be denied healthcare, to be murdered. We are trans and we BASH BACK.
Thank you, that makes some sense. I’m from the US, so very much familiar with the ones that are supposed to be representing a more liberal set of positions selling out some of the smaller groups to try and find broader appeal across those party lines. I did see about his backpedaling about acknowledging trans peoples’ genders.
It does often tend to sting a bit more when you get backstabbed by someone who was supposed to at least be sympathetic to your side, rather than someone you knew always disliked you. Streeting seems to have gotten himself into this position of disapproval in a similar way with the trans activists. It’s not like the activists are making threats to him or vowing to fight him forever, they just want to be treated as human beings, and if that happens, there won’t be any more vandalism. Sounds more than fair.