Derry Girls and Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan has put her money where her mouth is in support of the transgender community.
Under the Equality Act 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex earlier this week, which has complicated connotations for trans people.
Rallying the troops via Instagram in the immediate aftermath, a horrified Coughlan urged her followers to “speak up” and “make their voice heard” as trans allies.
“To see an already marginalised community being further attacked and attacked in law is really stomach-churning and disgusting, and to see people celebrate it is more stomach-churning and disgusting,” said the Irish star in a video.
“Make your voice heard and let your trans and non-binary friends and the community at large know that you are there for them and will keep fighting for them.”
Coughlan, who once publicly slammed a podcast host for calling her “fat”, shared her response to the ruling as a way of launching a fundraising campaign for Not A Phase charity – one which has now raised more than £100,000 in donations.
The Independent reports that the fundraiser now has a revised target of £100,000, after surpassing the £103,000 mark on Saturday.
She generously promised to match any donations up to £10,000.
“You’re such a great person. Thank you for your incredible kindness,” read one of the many comments.
“Now that’s how you use a platform to uplift others” and “I have been a fan of yours for a long time but as someone with non-binary and trans people in my family, you are even more than a superstar in my heart,” wrote two more fans.
Forecasting a backlash to the unanimous ruling, judge Lord Patrick Hodge counselled “against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not.
“The Equality Act 2010 gives transgender people protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender,” he added