London

by

Upcoming gigs in London and Leeds

New year, new gigs! We have two headline shows coming up for wormboys. Come and see us if you can!

Thursday 23rd January
The Cavendish Arms, London
With the legendary Schande, plus exciting new supergroup Tomboy Grandpa.

£9 advance.
Tickets available here!

Gig poster, with information in green text on a yellow background. Information as shared in post.

~

Wednesday 2nd April
Wharf Chambers, Leeds
With Tiger Island and Etheriel, plus live projections from Kit Watson.

£6 advance, £8 on the door, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Tickets available here!

Gig poster, with blobby red shapes drawn on white rectangles against a beige background. Poster text reads as follows. Wormboys, Tiger Island, Etheriel. Art by Kit Watson. 2nd April 2025. £6 online, £8 on the door. Wharf Chambers. Wharf Chambers is a member's club. You must be a member or a guest to go. It's £2 to join at wharfchambers.org.

by

Trans Kids Deserve Better – protest at NHS HQ

Young trans people have been leading an incredible protest at Wellington House, the London headquarters of NHS England. They have been holding space on a ledge of the front facade since London Pride on Saturday 29 June.

The protesters will be coming down today (Tuesday 2 July) and have called for supporters in London to join them at a rally from 4pm.

Photo of a group of people sitting on a ledge of a building, with towering pillars and glass windows behind them. They are holding a large banner which reads "We are not pawns for your politics". They have decorated with the windows of the building with trans flags, placards, and the words "trans kids deserve better".


The action powerfully highlights the repeated failure of UK politicians, the mainstream media, and NHS bodies to truly listen to young trans people about their experiences and needs. This is perhaps most powerfully seen in the Cass Review, which has systematically excluded expertise and evidence from trans people in formulating its recommendations, and in trans healthcare bans implemented for under-18s in England in Scotland. Meanwhile, the Labour party are promising to uphold these bans and implement a range of deeply transphobic policies should they win the election on 4 July.

These concerns are powerfully highlights by the protesters themselves. In Diva, a 17 year old activist explains:

“Decisions are being taken that affect our lives without any trans people in the room, let alone trans young people. Too often trans kids are portrayed as a monolith of confused, depressed teenagers. We are denied choice and robbed of our autonomy. But we should be trusted to make the same decisions about our healthcare that all people are. 

In every other way I am trusted when I tell people what I want to do with my life. But not now. There is so much real anger out there and we hope our actions will encourage others to fight for a voice, and the healthcare and dignity that we are currently denied.”

Another protester explained to Pink News:

“We are staging this protest to remind politicians and voters that we’re real kids, not just political talking points. We may not have a vote, but it is our lives that are at stake. Gender-affirming healthcare is a matter of life and death for us and we hope our actions will bring awareness to this fact and encourage others to fight for the healthcare and dignity we are so shamefully denied.”

As a former youth activist working in this field for almost two years now, I am hugely heartened and inspired by this powerful protest. In the face of institutionalised violence and silencing, young trans people are seizing the narrative. It is up to us adults to listen, learn, and fight alongside them.