On Sunday, thousands of protesters rallied in French cities over what they called an "offensive" against transgender rights after right-wing Senators introduced legislation on gender transition for minors.
Early in the afternoon, young people, trade unionists, left-wing lawmakers, and activists gathered at Place de la Republique in Paris, chanting and holding signs that demanded "health resources for transitions."
"Anti-patriarchy, anti-capitalism, solidarity with trans people all over the world," the Parisian protesters chanted.
Over 800 organizations and personalities, including the Socialists and the left-wing party France Unbowed, appealed for protests.
According to the Interior Ministry, 10,880 protesters took to the streets of France, including the 2,500 in Paris.
The organizers said that protesters staged rallies over the weekend in Brussels and Liege, Belgium, as well as in Lyon, Marseille, and Montpellier.
Hundreds joined the Montpellier protest, which featured a sit-in and speeches. An AFP correspondent observed two people throwing small stones at several protesters.
"This is our daily life," one of the organizers, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said.
The organizer noted that there is an urgent need to defend the rights of all people at a time when right-wing and far-right politicians are attacking the rights of trans people and disseminating false information about trans-identifying children.
An elderly couple, among the youthful Paris crowd, said they had come hoping to find their 27-year-old child, who had disappeared after transitioning, leaving them "traumatized and devastated."
Protests erupted after a report by senators of the center-right Republicans party on transgender minors.
Transgender advocacy groups claimed that the report allows a resumption of "conversion therapy." However, the authors deny these claims.
Drawing on the report, lawmakers created a proposed bill that will be discussed on May 28.
