Teenage trans activists occupied the front of the NHS England office in London

TRANS rights activists staged an occupation of NHS England’s HQ.

Seven protesters (above) occupying a ledge on the outside of Wellington House in Waterloo Road on Friday waved banners that read “we are not pawns for your politics”.

They are calling for access to “gender affirming healthcare” for young people and protection from discrimination.

The protest followed a decision by NHS England to stop prescriptions of puberty blockers for trans youth.

“My heart leapt when I saw what they’d done,” Stonewall co-founder and LGBTQIA+ campaigner Lisa Power said. “It’s good to see young people taking direct action against injustice and the queer community has been missing its spirit for a while. Fittingly for Pride month, I’m proud of them.”

Roz Kaveney, Gay Liberation Front veteran and author, said: “As someone who has always been so terrified of heights that even stilettos were a problem, I am lost in admiration for the gallantry of these kids. Right from the start, in GLF, we always knew Pride had to be a protest as much as a party. They’re fighting injustice in a brilliant, brave way.

“I am proud of them and scared for them.”

The protest, organised by the group Trans Kids Deserve Better, said:“Gender-affirming healthcare is a matter of life and death for us, and we hope that our actions will bring awareness to this fact and encourage others to fight for the healthcare and dignity that we are so shamefully denied.”

The government introduced a three-month emergency ban on puberty suppressing hormones on June 3.

Its statement said: “During this period no new patients under 18 will be prescribed these medicines for the purposes of puberty suppression in those experiencing gender dysphoria or incongruence under the care of these prescribers.”

The ban is for new patients but the people who are already being treated with puberty blockers can continue to access them.