Useful information
What is a mass lobby?
A mass lobby is when a group of people contact their MP and arrange to meet them in parliament on the same day and at the same time.
​It’s a great way of making it clear to parliamentarians that their constituents (or in the case of the House of Lords, UK citizens) are passionate about an issue, and is an effective way of encouraging them to take action.
​
On this page you will find a full step-by-step guide for this mass lobby.
Mass Lobby - Step-by-Step
STEP 1: Register to attend and contact your MP
​
Fill out the registration form to let us know you are coming and ask your MP to meet you. Page one is for details about you, page two is a template letter to your MP that will automatically generate for you to review and send. An email will not be sent until you press the send button in the second page!
​
Please use this tool to email your MP - it helps us prepare to support the lobby and share information with you, and it also helps us get media engagement with our core messages. However, if there is an issue with our tool loading your MP you can email your MP directly and copy and paste the template from the tool.
If you don’t know who your MP is or you haven’t emailed them before, you can find that information here: https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons.
In the form, you can also let us know if you’d like to apply for our travel fund.
​
If you don’t hear from your MP within 5 working days - follow up with a polite reminder email. And then keep following up, until you have a commitment to meet, or a clear response that they aren’t available.
​
If you get a response or are not expecting your MP to reply on time for the Mass Lobby please fill in the status update form to let us know whether you have a meeting booked or not. If you have to pull out of the lobby you can let us know there too.
​
IMPORTANT!
DON'T WORRY if you don’t have an appointment or your MP declines your request - you should still come on the day and ‘green card’ your MP (more information below). The more of us that show up to talk about this issue, the clearer it will be that something has got to change.
What is green carding?
‘Green Carding’ is a process of making a same day request for your MP to meet with you, by speaking to the Parliamentary staff and filling out a simple form (pictured).
​
If your MP or their team are free, they should come down to meet you.
STEP 2: Preparing to attend our Mass Lobby
​
Getting there:
For information about travel to Westminster, see: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/access/directions/
If travel costs are a barrier to you taking part, please let us know on the registration form, and if we can offer a travel fund we will.
Remember - you need to allow at least 45 minutes to get through security, so if you have a meeting time booked, make sure you arrive in good time.
What you can bring:
Please come prepared for the forecasted weather and bring plenty of water, as queues can be long. The Houses of Parliament have tight security restrictions on what can be brought into the building.
There are two things to bear in mind:
-
You will go through airport style security, with similar restrictions in place – though water / drinks are allowed into the Houses of Parliament.
-
There is a ban on political or offensive slogans on clothing – which can include badges. Breaking these rules will mean having materials taken from you, or being refused entry. You should assume that any LGBTQIA+ rights slogans could be interpreted as ‘political’ in the context of this mass lobby. Posters and banners are not allowed, and flags will count as a banner for these purposes.
For full details, visit: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/access/security/
Please note, no chanting is allowed inside Westminster Hall, and people chanting will be at risk of removal and missed meetings with MPs.
Accessibility
Queues can be long and tiring so we will support disabled lobbyists to come to the front of the security queue and access Westminster Hall as rapidly as possible.
The mass lobby will involve coming in through the Cromwell Green entrance and spending time in Westminster Hall, all of which is accessible to people who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids. You can find out more about accessibility in the Houses of Parliament here: https://www.parliament.uk/accessibility/.
Facilities
We will be in Westminster Hall for the mass lobby, which has a public cafe where you can buy food and drink. You are also allowed to bring a drink with you through security if you prefer.
Westminster Hall has mens, womens, all gender and accessible toilets. Our understanding is that the Houses of Parliament's policy means they are operating these on the basis that access to men's and women's toilets is on the basis of sex assigned at birth. We do not believe this will be actively policed to avoid harassment and discrimination.
We understand that this will be distressing to some. If you’d like support from us on the day, please let a member of the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team know.
How do I prepare what to say?
We will be sending out detailed briefing notes in advance and sharing a reminder leaflet on the day. We will also have volunteers available on the day who have a lot of experience of lobbying and will be happy to talk through your plan of action with you.
STEP 3: Arrival
​
Please come to the main Cromwell Green entrance of the Houses of Parliament.
[Google Maps pin here]
If you have a meeting booked with your MP
Do not join the long Mass Lobby queue and instead tell the security staff that you have a meeting with your MP, and show them evidence. This can be an email from your MP’s office that you show them on your phone, or a print-out. Doing this means they will make sure you get through security on time. You will be directed down the ramp to join the queue.
If you do not have a meeting booked with your MP
There will likely be a separate queue on the street for those attending the Mass Lobby who do not have a confirmed meeting. Join this queue and once you get to the entry desk you will be directed down the ramp to security. Last year the queue to get into security varied in length but at its peak was a couple of hours long. Please ensure you have adequate weather protection and water with you. We will be trying to move people through Parliament as quickly as possible so that you're not waiting too long.
If you have access requirements that limit your ability to queue for long periods of time let Trans+ Solidarity Alliance volunteers and security know as we intend to operate a priority queue for access.
Members of the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance will be in this area and will be wearing high-viz vests with the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance logo on the back.
STEP 4: Security
​
At the bottom of the ramp after you go past the entry kiosk you will go through an airport style security check.
Key points to note (in addition to the rules on what you can bring into the building):
You will be searched, and the policy of the Houses of Parliament is that you will be searched by a member of staff of the gender you prefer. If you are concerned, you can simply say ‘I would like to be searched by XXX’.
A member of the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team will be there in the security area to support you if needed. All of our team on the day will be wearing high viz jackets with ‘Trans+ Solidarity Alliance’ printed on it.
You can book support to get through security. For more information on this, please go to this website: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/access/disabled-access/getting-in/
STEP 5: Westminster Hall
​
Once you are through security, follow the signs to Westminster Hall, which is a very short walk from the end of Security.
As you come into Westminster Hall you will be greeted by members of the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team and Parliamentary staff who will direct you to the mass lobby meeting point.
Checking in
When you get to the mass lobby meeting point, please come to the check in desk, which will be staffed by Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team members and members of parliamentary staff.
First, please come to the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team - this allows us to check you in (if you haven’t already been checked in whilst you were in the queue), give you our leaflet with key points to make, and provide some orientation.
If you have already booked a meeting with your MP, you can then follow whatever guidance your MP’s office has given you in terms of making contact.
If you don’t have a meeting with your MP booked, the parliamentary staff at the check in desk can help you ‘green card’ your MP.
If they are available, your MP or a member of their staff should come down to meet you, but if they don’t you will be able to leave behind a statement, and green carding is an important way of showing that you are passionate about this issue.
While you wait for your MP
Review the materials we’ve provided, including the leaflet and the background briefing that will be available the week before the Mass Lobby.
Think about the ways the draft code of practice will impact your lives and the lives of people you care about – these are the stories that politicians will be most influenced by.
If you’d like to talk through your ideas, we will have experienced volunteers who can give you advice about what works best in persuading and influencing politicians. Just ask a Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team member and we will direct you to the right people.
Here are a few tips for meeting your MP:
-
Thank them for meeting with you
-
Find out how much time they have to meet. Some will be able to talk for longer than others, depending on their schedule and the number of constituents they have to talk to
-
Make sure they have heard the key messages
-
Try and get a photo with them that you can share on social media
If you’re feeling distressed
We understand that this lobby involves people sharing personal thoughts and feelings, and that talking about the impact of the EHRC’s guidance on trans+ people’s lives can be distressing.
There will be a quiet room in Westminster Hall where you can spend time if you need to, with volunteers to offer support and a listening ear. Just ask any member of the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team and we can direct you.
STEP 6: Check Out
​
As soon as
-
You have met your MP or
-
You have been told your MP is not available to meet you or have been waiting for over 60 minutes after green carding
​
We’d like you to leave the Houses of Parliament. Hundreds of trans+ people and allies will be coming to the lobby, and we want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to have their views heard. Leaving in a timely fashion means more people can get in to have their say!
Before you leave, please come and speak to the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team who will be at the exits to let us know how your meeting went, and then follow the signs to the exit.
STEP 7: Parliament Square / Social Media​
​
If you have time before you travel home, please go visit the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance team in Parliament Square, opposite the Cromwell Green exit (subject to change!). We will be supporting and encouraging lobbyists to make and share reels and pictures, to make sure our mass lobby is seen and heard outside the walls of Westminster!
If you met your MP we want you to share that in your social media posts, along with how your meeting went. If you weren’t able to meet them, we want you to share that too, and let them know what you wanted to say. Tag @transsolidarityalliance and your MP's social media handle in any posts, reels, tiktoks or stories.
Thank you for being part of this mass lobby, and for standing up for trans+ people in the UK.
​​
If you have any other questions email info@transsolidarityalliance.com
We will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.