EXCLUSIVE: The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, Babygirl’s Harris Dickinson, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, The Outrun’s Paapa Essiedu and How to Have Sex filmmaker Molly Manning Walker are among more than 400 industry professionals who have signed an open letter calling for industry action on trans rights following the UK Supreme Court ruling on April 17 that defines a woman based on biological sex.
The letter, which was started by development producer Sid Strickland of Motive Pictures and script editor Jack Casey, expresses solidarity for the trans, non-binary and intersex communities impacted by the supreme court ruling. The ruling and subsequent Equalities & Human Rights Commission guidance will see trans people excluded from many single-sex facilities, which will have an impact across the industry from sets to cinemas.
The letter calls on industry bodies and cultural institutions such as Bectu, BAFTA, BFI, Directors UK, Picturehouse, BBC, Writers Guild and Channel 4 to commit to protecting trans people within the industry and their respective organisations.
“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 said. “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 added: “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 acquired more than 400 signatures in 24 hours and has also been signed by talents such as writer Jack Rooke (Big Boys), actor Faye Marsay (Adolescence) and writer-director Kate Herron (The Last of Us).
Execs from companies such as New Pictures, Sister Pictures, Motive Pictures, Balloon Entertainment, World Productions, Federation Stories, Red Planet Pictures and Objective Fiction have also signed the letter, which can be found here.
The UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously earlier this month that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law. The guidance now says in places like restaurants, shops and hospitals “trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities.”
The ruling continues to divide those who are pro-trans rights and who are in opposition of them. J.K. Rowling, a longtime critic of transgender rights, celebrated the ruling on social media.
