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Author’s note: This is a very scattered recap of the event. I originally had no intention of writing a recap when I first decided to go. However, as things began happening, I started taking some notes, but my focus was mainly on being present at the event and standing up for my community.
On Sunday, May 25th, 2025, I had the pleasure of attending Magandjin People’s Pride’s anti-trans-counter-protest against a gender critical group, whose name I won’t mention here, because I don’t want to give them that attention.
It was a beautiful day—the sun was out, and the temperature was lovely. As I sat in Brisbane Square, waiting for the event to begin, I couldn’t help but think, ‘What a beautiful day to be trans.’
The TERFs were there early, setting up with signs that read ‘MEN DON’T BELONG IN WOMEN’S SPORT’, ‘QLD GOV: CHILDREN CAN’T CONSENT TO PUBERTY BLOCKERS’, and ‘SAVE OUR TOMBOYS’.
I was surprised, they had a decent turnout this time, around 15 to 17 people! They even had Drew Hutton, a co-founder of the Australian Greens. They also had a videographer, who seemed to have a particular affinity for filming trans people hanging out. But did they have the Riff Raff Radical Marching Band? No, but we did! Unfortunately, they could only play a couple of songs before being shut down by the police and a representative from the Brisbane City Council. With my friend and I as backing vocals, we sang a portion of We Shall Not Be Moved by the Seekers, and our own rendition of When The Saints Go Marching In, with the lyrics:
O when the hate comes rolling in,
O when the hate comes rolling in,
We’re gonna stand up for trans rights,
when the hate comes rolling in.
In total, there were thirteen police officers present, who were very determined to silence us, not allowing the event organiser to use the sound system or megaphone. Since we weren’t allowed to play music, we performed an acapella rendition of HOT-TO-GO by Chappell Roan. They tried to silence us, but we have loud voices.
At one point, we got bored of the TERFs and the five transphobic rhetorics they have, so we decided to get underway with the plushie contest! There were twelve contestants in total, each bringing their own unique and special plushie. I participated in the competition, bringing a flat goose named Geese. Some other contestants included a trans bat, Gabriel from Ultrakill, a little shark, a squid, and Viktor from Arcane. All twelve contestants won the competition.
After proclaiming they won’t be moved or silenced by us, the TERFs ended their “rally” and packed up at around 11.45 am. Some stayed to engage in conversations with counter-protesters from our side. I was not present for these conversations because at that point the picnic had started, and I was eating a muffin and making new friends.
One of my friends who came to the protest with me had a conversation with a male TERF. My friend explained to him what testosterone and estrogen actually do to the body. My friend also talked about one of the arguments a TERF made in her speech- that all transgender people come from unloved households, and that’s why we’re like this. My friend’s mother was at the protest, on our side, as an ally. My friend explained that he came from a supportive household and still turned out trans, and that was the case for many transgender people. When the conversation was over, another counter protester went to shake the male TERF’s hand, which he refused. I guess they don’t believe in manners either.
My friends and I hung around until a bit before one. Despite being there to drown out the TERFs’ bigotry, the picnic afterwards just confirmed something I’d always known: community is stronger than hatred.
Written by El Bancroft
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