Nicola Coughlan has raised over €76,000 and counting for Not A Phase, a charity committed to uplifting and improving the lives of trans people across the United Kingdom. The Irish actor kickstarted the fundraiser on Thursday, April 17, in response to the UK Supreme Court’s exclusionary ruling on the legal definition of ‘woman’.
Addressing her 6.1 million followers on Instagram, the star described being “completely horrified” by the verdict, adding: “To see an already marginalised community being further attacked and attacked in law is really stomach-churning and disgusting and to see people celebrate it is more stomach-churning and disgusting.”
Nicola Coughlan continued: “If you are a cisgender person who is an ally of a trans person, I think now is the time to just speak up and make your voice heard and let your trans and non-binary friends and the community at large know that you are there for them and will keep fighting for them.”
She also committed to matching donations up to €10,000, which was reached within the first hour of the fundraiser’s launch. The Galway native ended up contributing €11,664 of her own money, and with 28 days left of the campaign, the total pool sits at €76,982.56 at the time of writing.
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Following the Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday, April 16, which declared that the legal definition of ‘woman’ under the Equality Act 2010 does not include trans women, Not A Phase issued a statement condemning the decision.
“To advocate against trans women is to advocate against equality,” the group shared.
“To our allies, the most recent census found that less than 1 in 1,000 people in the UK are trans women – a tiny margin of our society, despite the daily political and social overexposure trans+ people – and trans women in particular – are forced to navigate. Many of the intersectional challenges faced by trans women are felt by all women – economically, socially, and with regard to safety.
“To suggest trans women are not oppressed by the patriarchy is to choose not to further understand, unpack, and challenge the powers the patriarchy has over not just trans women, but all women.
“For these reasons, it is not possible to advocate for the exclusion or redefinition of trans women in the name of equality, or in the name of feminism.
“Trans people have always existed, and are well documented throughout history globally. Our existence long predates the oppressive structures designed to silence or remove us from the rest of society – we are not new, and we are not a phase.”
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