Derby's second annual Trans Pride is set to make history as the very first Pride to happen after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)’s new Code of Practice for Services takes effect.
New EHRC Guidance
The new guidance from the EHRC confirmed that single-sex services must be based on biological sex, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in April 2025. It addresses scenarios from sport, where trans people should compete alongside others of their birth sex, to hospital wards, which can lawfully exclude trans patients if single-sex.
The guidance also suggests it can be legitimate, in limited circumstances, to ask someone to confirm their sex if there is clear evidence of an issue with members of the opposite sex accessing the service.
Event Details
The code takes effect on 5 August 2026, after Labour Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson MP approved it, despite over 160 MPs calling for its rejection. Derby's Trans Pride will take place on Saturday 8 August 2026 from 2pm until 8pm at the Electric Daisy on Bold Lane, celebrating the trans, non-binary, intersex and gender-diverse community.
The free event features speeches, drag performances, music, poetry, and dancing, with stalls from queer artists and Derbyshire's cornerstone LGBT+ support charity. An afterparty at Dubrek Studios follows, with DJs and performances (£3 plus booking fee). A march supporting the trans+ community will take place at 3pm through Derby city centre, as a reminder that Pride is a protest.
Spokesperson's Statement
A Derby Trans Pride spokesperson called out the UK's "plummeting in LGBTIQA+ rights", labelling it a "trans apartheid", referencing the UK's drop from 1st to 22nd in the ILGA-Europe 'Rainbow Map'. They said: "That’s exactly why we needed a Trans Pride. Trans rights are the vanguard of the LGBTIQA+ community and the front line of human rights. Alongside protesting the negatives, we must also celebrate the joys of our vibrant community along with you all, and remind us we’ve always been here, why we’re still here, and what we can achieve together — we exist; we persist; and we resist. Happy Pride."
