As London Trans+ Pride approaches on July 26th, the trans community needs allies who are willing to show up, speak out, and stand visibly alongside them.
The current political climate has created a hostile environment for trans people. From healthcare restrictions to educational censorship and segregation, trans individuals are under attack across multiple fronts. Against this backdrop of systematic oppression, the trans community continues to organise, resist, and create spaces of hope and connection. They’re taking to the streets in protest and pride, making placards and standing shoulder to shoulder with each other. The question is: will you join them?
The Power of Authentic Voices
This context makes the upcoming launch of “Letter To My Little Trans Self” by hotpencil press particularly significant. Launching on July 30th at The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), this collection represents exactly the kind of authentic storytelling that politicians and censors are trying to silence. The book features 30 activists, artists, and writers from Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Australia, the UK, and the US, all penning letters to their younger selves in a powerful act of vulnerability and defiance.
Founded by Serge Nicholson and Libro Levi Bridgeman in 2011, Hotpencil Press has consistently championed voices that have been ignored by mainstream publishing. Their commitment to platforming both high-profile and emerging trans and non-binary writers reflects a deeper understanding: every voice matters, every story has power, and every authentic narrative pushes back against erasure.
The collection includes contributions from acclaimed activists and writers Charlie Craggs and Travis Alabanza, alongside those who are just beginning to share their stories.
Beyond the Pages: A Movement in Motion
The timing of this collection isn’t coincidental. As politicians work systematically to erase trans experiences from public spaces, publications like “Letter To My Little Trans Self” become acts of political resistance. They magnify and uplift authentic voices, offering hope and connection at a time when these sentiments have never been more needed.
But books alone cannot create change. The trans community is mobilising, organising, and taking action. During trans+ pride season, as marches take place across the UK, the community is busy creating visibility, demanding recognition, and building solidarity. They’re harnessing what Hotpencil Press describes as “the groundswell resurgence of power and possibility and pride.”
This is where allyship must evolve from passive support to active participation.
The Call to Action: Show Up on July 26th
London Trans+ Pride on July 26th represents more than a celebration – it’s a declaration of existence, a demand for rights, and a call for allies to step up. This isn’t about changing your social media profile picture or sharing a supportive post. This is about physical presence, visible solidarity, and active participation in the fight for trans rights.
Effective allyship means being present at marches, supporting trans-led organisations, amplifying trans voices, and using your privilege to create safer spaces for trans+ people. It means recognising that your comfort zone is far less important than the rights and safety of others.
Visible Allyship
The launch of “Letter To My Little Trans Self” on July 30th at the ICA (tickets are available here) offers another opportunity to demonstrate active allyship. By attending events like this, purchasing books by trans authors, and engaging with trans-led initiatives, allies can provide tangible support to the community. The evening will feature live readings from contributors: Lauren J. Joseph, Sabah Choudrey, Eva Echo, Bambi Jordan Phillips, D. Mortimer, Juliet Jacques, and Gareth Gavin, with recorded readings from Juno Roche and Alexandra R D Ruiz.
The Urgency of Now
The current moment feels, as hotpencil press describes it, like “an urgent place of vigilance and danger.” But it’s also a moment of unprecedented community mobilisation and power. The trans community is not waiting for permission to exist, to create, or to resist. They’re organising, creating, and building the world they want to see. The question for allies is simple: will you show up and move beyond passive support to active solidarity?
Letter to My Little Trans Self is available from www.hotpencilpress.co.uk from July 30th, 2025. Follow hotpencil press on insta:@hotpencilpress
