Transgender people and their supporters took to the streets in protest to highlight the onging fear of attack and fight for equality.

The march for Transgender Day of Remembrance took place on Saturday, November 19 from Chapelfield Gardens to City Hall in St Peters Street and attracted around 100 people.

Norwich Evening News:

Held annually on the November 20, the day started in 1999 when a vigil was organised to remember a transgender woman Rita Hester who was killed in 1998 in America.

It is now an internationally-recognised event which acts as a memory to people who have been murdered as a result of transphobia as well as drawing attention to the violence carried out towards those in the transgender community.

The first ever Norwich protest started in 2021 and this year's was organised by Growing Roots Community social enterprise, as well as other groups, and included people writing messages on rocks in Chapelfield Gardens.

Norwich Evening News:

One of the organisers, Norwich musical director, Charlie Caine, 41, said: "It is important to remember everyone lost to transphobic violence ths year and come together to ackowledge the problems people in the transgender community go through."

He added that the rhetoric within the general media landscape towards the transgender community was "dehumanising".

Another major challenge was the delay in accessing treatment through the NHS, which caused some to take their own lives.

"The majority of people do not care about trans people but there is a small group willing to stand up for us. There is also a small group which is increasingly bigoted which seems to have power.

"It is exhausting living with fear of attack," Mr Caine said.

He added Norwich was a progressive city but said: "There is nothing wrong with being ignorant but it is good to be open to listening. It is about mutual respect. We are all human beings going through difficult times. We should not be fighting each other."

His partner, Andrew Copeman, 30, another main organiser from Growing Roots, said he was hopeful for change.

Norwich Evening News:

Publisher Ruadhán O'Donnaile, 27, who used to live in Ipswich but now lives in Scotland and works to support transgender individuals, said: "Transgender people are not a threat to anybody."