Harris Dickinson & Nicola Coughlan Join 400+ in Letter Urging Action After UK Trans Rights Ruling
Harris Dickinson and Nicola Coughlan are among hundreds of names demanding action.
The Babygirl actor and the Bridgerton star join names like Bella Ramsey, Moly Manning and Paapa Essiedu in signing an open letter calling for industry action on trans rights after the UK Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this month, defining a woman based on biological sex, via Deadline.
The letter was started by development producer Sid Strickland of Motive Pictures and script editor Jack Casey, and expresses solidarity for the trans, non-binary and intersex communities affected by the ruling.
The guidance now says in places like restaurants, shops and hospitals, that “trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities.”
The ruling, and the subsequent Equalities & Human Rights Commission guidance, will see trans people excluded from many single-sex facilities, which will affect everything from movie sets to theaters.
The letter is calling on institutions like BAFTA, BBC, Writers Guild and Channel 4 to commit to protecting trans people within the industry.
Keep reading to find out more…
“We the undersigned film and television professionals stand in solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities who have been impacted by the Supreme Court ruling on April 17,” the letter reads, via Deadline.
“We wish to add our voices to the 2000+ signatories of the Open Letter from UK Writers to the Trans Community published last week and call upon members of our industry and cultural bodies to join us.”
“The Supreme Court’s ruling that, under the Equality Act, ‘woman’ is defined by biological sex, states that ‘the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man’. We believe the ruling undermines the lived reality and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary and intersex people living in the UK,” it goes on.
“Film and television are powerful tools for empathy and education, and we believe passionately in the ability of the screen to change hearts and minds. This is our opportunity to be on the right side of history.”
The letter has received more than 400 signatures in 24 hours, including writer Jack Rooke, actor Faye Marsay and writer-director Kate Herron.
It also includes signatures from companies like New Pictures, Sister Pictures, Motive Pictures, Balloon Entertainment, and World Productions, among others. Click here to see the full letter.
Find out who recently slammed JK Rowling for supporting the ruling.