Trans rights are more vital than ever, we sat down with P Eldridge to talk about why. This weekend, Trans+ Pride lit up London with power and joy. Among the celebrations are fundraising events hosted in support of P Eldridge’s gender-affirming care; a gesture of solidarity and love from her community.
P. Eldridge describes herself as “a curator, writer, and cultural agitator working between London and so-called Australia.” We spoke with her about what it means to be supported by friends in this way, and why it’s crucial that trans voices are amplified, protected, and heard now more than ever. Keep reading to find out.
Words by: P. Eldridge
Why is Trans Pride so important?
Trans people are architects of culture – shaping it at the subcultural level, where it germinates before seeding the mainstream. Often unacknowledged, the very music, language, fashion, and spirit many enjoy today are born of trans creativity; especially that of Black, brown, disabled, sex working, migrant trans people.
Trans Pride, then, is not merely a celebration – it is an act of recognition, a ritual of gratitude. It is how we show up for a community that, time and again, births the future while being denied the present. It is how we honour those who create, heal, nurture, and sustain the world simply through the miracle of their being.
No shade, but truly, no struggle pulses so vividly, so defiantly alive, as that of trans people. We have unstitched the binaries, rewoven ourselves from fragments, and built something beyond survival: a vision of freedom. That is why Trans Pride matters.
We know you’re hosting an event this Trans Pride to fundraise in aid of gender-affirming surgery – can you tell us a bit more about that?
Yes – it’s actually not just one event, but three. I’m incredibly grateful to be the beneficiary of fundraisers organised by some truly remarkable people: Vanilla Parker Balls and The Doll, Donna Marcus Duke and Sam Moore from TISSUE, and Barney Pau. Each of them is curating space in their own unique way – rooted in love, community, and the understanding that gender-affirming care is a right, not a privilege.
Accessing surgery, for many of us, means navigating endless delays, systemic hostility, and impossible costs. These events aren’t just about raising money; they’re about refusing to wait, about building a world where our needs are met with immediacy and care.
This is mutual aid in motion: trans people showing up for each other, artists and organisers turning their platforms into lifelines. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and reminded that joy, creativity and collective care can be revolutionary forces.
Whilst two of the three have already been, our upcoming dinner ‘Dine For The Dolls’ is on Thursday 31 July, more details here.
How does it feel to have so much support behind you?
It’s honestly overwhelming, in the most beautiful way. I’ve spent the last five years in London doing everything I can to create space for other trans people to thrive, so having that care reflected back has been deeply rewarding. It’s also been challenging: to receive, to let myself be held. I’m usually the one holding it down, the one giving. Even as a self-professed good girl anarchist, learning to accept kindness has been its own lesson.
When you’ve spent so much of your life fighting just to exist, to be seen, to be safe, the idea that people would gather not just to witness you but to hold you… it’s profoundly moving. This support doesn’t just ease the material burden, it restores something deeper. It reminds me that I’m not alone, that none of us are. That trans life isn’t only about resistance or endurance; it’s about community, care, and collective organising.
I feel held. I feel loved. And I feel more committed than ever to ensuring this kind of care reaches all of us, not just some.
Who is your biggest Trans inspiration?
Honestly, my biggest inspirations come from right here; my local trans community. I’m surrounded by people whose work, presence, and power reshape the world in real time.
Shon Faye’s uncompromising politics open doors for all of us. Torrey Peters writes with a tenderness that holds the mess and beauty of trans life. Biogal (of Pissed Off Trannies and Trans Fem Social) burns with righteous rage; a reminder that disruption is care. Erin Holly paints trans experience with such raw, breathtaking truth. Frigid (Fi Kube) doesn’t just perform, she conjures our legacies; her drag is unforgettable.
And the brilliance doesn’t stop there. Xoey Fourr’s poetry is feral, tender, and unflinching. Stephan (of FRINGE!) has always been such a joyful force in my life. Donna and Sam (TISSUE) hold platforms that are bold, messy, and deeply trans. Kaiya and Sophie (of Sticky Fingers Publishing) are reshaping publishing with DIY grit. My friend, Lust’s drag is gorgeously grotesque. Ailo (an organiser of London Trans+ Pride) is such a powerhouse. Bhenji Ra teaches that transness is movement, ritual, inheritance.
Ashley Lloyd and Misha Honcharenko’s gentleness grounds me. The Worms World crew — Clem, Caitlin, Arca, Summer — are my lifeforce, rewriting print culture. They are an endless inspiration to me (truly my whole heart). And everyone I collaborate with through my punk little angel SISSY ANARCHY pushes me to dream wider.
These aren’t distant icons, they’re right beside me. Trans inspiration is local, embodied, collective; which is the most powerful kind.
How do you think we need to see the country stand up for Trans rights?
We need more than vague statements of “support” – we need structural, material change. Standing up for trans rights means funding healthcare, protecting access to gender-affirming care, and ending the hostile environment that makes daily life unsafe for so many of us (which is what we’re trying to do over at SISSY ANARCHY with the ‘Trans Inclusive Bathroom Access Initiative’).
It means dismantling the media’s obsession with framing our existence as a “debate.” It means defending trans youth without hesitation, challenging every policy that criminalises our joy, our autonomy, our families.
We need the country to stop seeing trans rights as optional or negotiable. This is about safety, dignity, and the basic right to exist. And we’re not asking, we’re demanding it. Because we know a better world is possible, and we’re already building it together.
P. Eldridge’s work has appeared in Flash Art, Studio Magazine, CIRCA Art, and more; and she has interviewed artists and writers such as Judy Chicago, Juliana Huxtable, Shon Faye, Cortisa Star, and Torrey Peters. She has edited writings by Chris Kraus, Anne Rower, Estelle Hoy, and Octavia Bright, and her practice has been featured in DAZED, Service95, AnOther, and at Tate Modern, to name a few. Her practice is a soft weapon, a sharp tenderness carving space for queer embodiment, refusal, and new ways of living.
