Cis lesbians have taken to Twitter to show their support for fellow lesbian trans women using the hashtag #LwiththeT. The hashtag was created to contradict the beliefs of a group of lesbian TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) called ‘Get The L Out’ who hijacked Saturday’s Pride parade in London.

The group’s main belief is that the trans rights movement causes lesbian erasure and endangers cis women and that lesbians should leave the LGBT movement to start their own separate movement. In fliers handed out at the parade, the group also claimed that lesbian women in romantic relationships with trans women aren’t really lesbians.

The anti-trans group positioned themselves at the front of the parade, carrying large banners of trans-exclusionary messages. According to Pride in London, ‘Get The L Out’ were not registered as part of the parade but they could not be forcibly removed because their protest “was not a criminal offense.” The parade’s organisers have spoken out, calling the protest  “a shocking and disgusting” level of “bigotry, ignorance, and hate that is unacceptable.”

Members of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly cis-lesbian women, have taken to Twitter using hashtags such as #LwiththeT, #BwiththeT, #NotADebate and #SistersNotCisters to show their support.

https://twitter.com/TitusAndrogyn/status/1015941354415906816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I'm a cis lesbian whose preferred label is queer, precisely because it reminds me that we're stronger as a united community, helping fight each other's battles. As a quick reminder though, some of our trans sisters are also lesbians- it's not an either or #LwiththeT

— MazCam (@MazCam25) July 7, 2018

Can't imagine what it must be like to go to pride and have your existence denied by members of your own community. As a cis lesbian I stand in love and solidarity with trans people #LwiththeT

— Catriona Livingstone (@CatrionaWL) July 8, 2018

Organisers behind the online campaign have spoken out against Pride in London, calling the organisation out for their lack of support of marginalised groups, saying that “London Pride should put their money where their apology is and use some of their corporate sponsorship money to donate to small charities,” and that “the harm caused to the community cannot be underestimated, and London Pride has a duty of care to the communities it supposedly represents”.

In a statement, an official spokesperson for the #LwiththeT campaign said:

“We did not want this small section of the lesbian community to claim to speak on behalf of all cisgender lesbians or allow their hatred and call for separatism to lead the parade. This is a way to show love to our trans sisters in this difficult time.

We are firm in our knowledge that trans women are women and trans lives are not up for debate. The action counters the onslaught of sensationalist headlines with a clear message of love and solidarity between all women.”