A group of lesbian activists blocked the start of the Pride in London march Saturday in protest against men who identify as transgender, lesbian women.

Using a banner that read: “Transactivism erases lesbians” and another that said “Lesbian = female homosexual”, one of the activists shouted: “A man who says he’s a lesbian is a rapist”. They also distributed a flyer that said: “The trans movement is… coercing lesbians to have sex with men. We firmly condemn this vicious form of anti-lesbianism disguised as progress.”

Speaking to Gay Star News, Jan Williams from a group called Object said: “Transgenderism is conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is wrong.” She continued: “Only women can be lesbians. A man who has surgery can never be a lesbian.”

Sarah Mason, founder of Get The L Out, told GSN the group is an alliance of lesbian and feminist organisations. She said her sexuality is seen as transphobic and exclusive “just because we are women attracted to women.”

“We don’t want any kind of penis in our bedroom,” she said. “I’m really sad I have to reassert this again. It’s everywhere online – it’s everywhere in LGBTQ centres.”