Paul Roberts

Leading trans charity, Mermaids is appealing the controversial decision by the Charity Commission to award the LGB Alliance charitable status.

LGBT+ Consortium, Gendered Intelligence, LGBT Foundation and TransActual are not appellants but are supporting the appeal, which is being crowdfunded by Good Law Project.

To be registered as a charity, an organisation must be established exclusively for charitable purposes, as recognised in law, and it must pursue them in a way which gives rise to tangible benefits that outweigh any associated harms.

LGB Alliance told the Charity Commission that its purposes were the promotion of equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people and the protection of human rights. Yet in a speech on 9 March 2020, LGB Alliance director Bev Jackson was clear that their real goal had little to do with the protection of lesbian, gay and bisexual people:

“We’re applying for charitable status and building an organization to challenge the dominance of those who promote the damaging theory of gender identity.”

She spoke the truth: the LGB Alliance’s real purpose is the denigration of trans people and the destruction of organisations that support them, in particular through political lobbying and campaigning for changes to the law. These are not charitable purposes for the public benefit; they are political objectives designed to roll back legal protections for trans people.

The LGB Alliance leadership have expressed the belief that people should be described and treated in accordance with their “biological sex”, irrespective of their stated gender identity or gender expression.

Ever since it was established in 2019, LGB Alliance has repeatedly targeted registered LGBT rights charities including Mermaids, Stonewall, LGBT Foundation, GIRES and others. LGB Alliance has accused these organisations of extremism and homophobia, of spreading disinformation, of endangering children, and of campaigning against women’s and gay rights.

Further, the LGB Alliance has:

• Called for a Parliamentary investigation into Mermaids.
• Lobbied the Equality and Human Rights Commission to open a statutory investigation into Stonewall.
• Campaigned to stop LGBT charities from advising schools and government bodies on transgender rights.
• Campaigned to deprive LGBT charities of funding and/or to divert their donations and grants.

 

LGBTQ+ people across the UK face an onslaught of misinformation and attacks in the mainstream press, in politics and on social media. Transgender (including nonbinary and gender diverse) people are entitled, like everyone else, to support and understanding. Mermaids, along with the country’s leading LGBTQ+ charities and organisations, speak with the single voice of a single community when we will not be divided. We oppose transphobia in all its forms. We stand together.

Quote from Susie Green, CEO of Mermaids:

“Mermaids supports trans young people, children and their families who face overwhelming hostility simply because of who they are. The work of the LGB Alliance is clearly designed to divide the LGBTQ+ community in an attempt to undermine and isolate trans people. Mermaids is proud to stand up for the rights of trans people in court, with the unbreakable support of our LGBTQ+ charity family.”

Quote from Paul Roberts, CEO of LGBT+ Consortium:

“Charity status is hard earned and should promote positive and inclusive change for those most marginalised in our communities. The decision to register LGB Alliance goes in the face of that and sows distrust in what it means to hold charitable status. They exist to oppose free, safe and empowered trans lives and, as LGBT+ organisations, we stand as one to ask the Tribunal to quash the Charity Commission’s decision. We are with Mermaids every step of the way and will always stand up for an LGBT+ charity sector that puts positive public benefit first.”

Quote from Jo Maugham, Direct of Good Law Project:

“Charitable status is for those who serve the public good. Denigrating trans people, attacking those who speak for them, and campaigning to remove legal protections from them is the very opposite of a public good. We do not believe they meet the threshold tests to be registered as a charity.”

Quote from Helen Belcher, Chair of Trans Actual:

“We fully support Mermaids in taking this action. The idea that an organisation who wants trans people to be second class citizens should be recognised as a charity brings the whole system into disrepute.”

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact press@goodlawproject.org

A diverse range of LGBT+ Voluntary and Community Sector leaders have today written to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, urging them to step up for our LGBT+ communities.

They have questioned the Commission’s record on LGBT+ people’s rights, but particularly trans people’s rights. There is growing frustration and disappointment that they are no longer using their powers to advance equality for LGBT+ people, and in particular are choosing to put their efforts into intervening in a case where gender-critical beliefs are being argued.

Leaders are asking the EHRC to set out their next steps for better engagement and real action for our communities, particularly as on IDAHOBIT yesterday we saw ILGA Europe publish its annual map of LGBT+ rights across Europe and we saw the UK slip down the rankings.

Paul Roberts, Consortium’s Chief Executive said, “at a time when we are seeing relentless campaigns to remove and restrict trans and non-binary people from public life the EHRC should be at the forefront of defending the hard fought rights of our communities. Instead, they are focusing their energy on the exact opposite and providing legitimacy for the misinformation and negative public discourse that sees trans and non binary people forced to defend their very existence. This is unfair, is unjust and we demand to know why the EHRC isn’t doing more to protect and defend those seeking anything more than equal protection.”

#TogetherWithTrans

A copy of the letter sent to the EHRC can be found here, along with a full list of signatories.

 

Consortium is delighted to announce that following a recent recruitment process 2 new Trustees have been appointed, bringing the Trustee Board to a team of 9. In our drive for a more Trans+ inclusive Trustee Board, Hannah and Louie bring with them a wealth of experience, expertise and knowledge in their own particular areas. This is a critical time as we develop our 5 year strategy, and we look forward to the combined Trustee expertise help steer Consortium into an exciting new strategic period.

Chris French, Consortium’s Chair commented, “I’m truly delighted to welcome Hannah and Louie to the Board of Consortium. Their experience will bring even more diversity of thought to the Board and help us collectively to further our strategic aims as the host of the UK’s largest network of LGBT+ groups, projects and organisations.”

 

Hannah Pittman

Hannah is one of the founding members of the committee for Pluto MCR, a social group for asexual and aromantic people in the Greater Manchester area and a Consortium Member organisation. She has also recently set up TRACE (Trans Respect Advocacy in Care Employnent), a campaign to provide support to other trans people in the care sector, and encourage greater trans inclusion. Hannah is passionate about the importance of empowered, supportive and organised community activity in furthering LGBT+ rights.

On their appointment, Hannah said, “I am immensely excited to be joining LGBT+ Consortium at such a significant time. My experience as a trans woman leads me to believe that there really has never been such a great need for LGBT+ organisations to come together, and ensure that nobody – no matter what their other experiences are – within the wider community gets left behind. Being able to form a part of supporting an organisation instrumental to this work towards collaboration, cohesion, and the strengthening of community at this turbulent moment in history is an absolute honour, and one that I will certainly not be taking lightly.”

 

Louie Stafford

Louie had been searching for an opportunity to use both their lived and professional experiences in a board-level role and felt Consortium was a great fit. Louie is the Managing Director of Member organisation Learnest, a social business set up to develop meaningful work opportunities that change the lives and prospects of people affected by transphobia, biphobia and homophobia in the workplace and wider society. Louie has worked for a number of LGBT+ third sector organisations and has been engaged with Consortium’s work, particularly through our Trans Organisations Network.

On their appointment, Louie said, “I first became aware of the brilliant work of LGBT Consortium almost a decade ago through trans community development work I was involved in. Throughout my career, I have witnessed the impact of the support, funding and guidance LGBT Consortium offer to community-led initiatives first hand. LGBT Consortium has a key role to play during these challenging times in supporting the work of the sector to better understand and meet the needs of those most marginalised within our communities. I’m so thrilled and proud to be joining the dedicated team of Trustees and have an opportunity to contribute to the important work of the organisation.”

 

Paul Roberts, Consortium’s Chief Executive said, “I am delighted that we not only continue to strengthen Trans+ lived experience on the Trustee Board, but also the diverse knowledge and expertise across their professional and personal roles . Consortium is committed to being an umbrella for the LGBT+ voluntary and community sectors that embraces equitable approaches and inclusive practice. I am excited to work alongside Hannah and Louie as we further build this into our developing 5 year strategy, including strong Trans+ areas of work. This is a challenging time for Trans+ people and organisations. Consortium will stand #TogetherWithTrans and ensure at all levels the organisation supports our Trans+ members.”

Consortium is proud to be the umbrella body for an inclusive and diverse LGBT+ sector across the UK. Trans+ organisations are an important and integral part of our voluntary and community sector and have faced untold inequalities across all areas of their work, as highlighted through the collaborative together. campaign late last year. Consortium and its Trans Organisations Network want to re-affirm our commitment to championing the full diversity of LGBT+ communities and organisations and continued support for a united LGBT+ sector.

At our AGM in November 2020, Consortium’s Board of Trustees sought Member approval for our Membership Values and Principles policy. Ordinarily, this policy would be approved internally but Consortium’s Board of Trustees wanted to take this as an opportunity to seek member mandate for our approach to equity and inclusion—particularly that we are an umbrella body that promotes active Trans + community inclusion.

We are acutely aware that recent developments have caused fear and alarm across our Trans+ and LGBT+ communities. Consortium has already been in open dialogue with the Charity Commission in England and Wales with a view to ensuring they better understand the toxic environment both Trans + and LGBT+ organisations find themselves working within, all whilst they work to improve the lives of the most marginalised and vulnerable in our communities. We will continue to liaise with them, using this an opportunity to highlight community concerns and to ensure they uphold their required regulatory functions, which must ensure no one in our communities faces the prospect of having their identities erased.

We encourage our members, our allies and their own stakeholders to take care of themselves and each other and to stand #TogetherWithTrans. We are stronger together and Consortium will do all it can to protect, defend and promote the amazing life-saving work taking place across our LGBT+ voluntary and community sector.

Consortium’s Chief Executive sits on the UK Government’s LGBT Advisory Panel as an organisational member, alongside fellow Chief Executive’s at Stonewall and LGBT Foundation. We stand in solidarity with our fellow individual Panel members who have resigned in dismay at the lack of progress on introducing a ban on conversion therapy, amongst other challenging issues. We also stand with other Panel members who have taken the decision to stay in their role and continue the fight, as Consortium will continue to do. We are proud to have worked alongside them all over the last two years, keeping LGBT+ issues on the agenda despite the lack of Ministerial engagement.

Consortium, as the umbrella body for LGBT+ Voluntary and Community organisations across the UK, has a 450 strong membership. We are mandated to fight for the rights of our Member organisations and have a duty to maintain a strategic relationship with the Government of the day. We will stand strong to keep fighting for our LGBT+ communities. We will not shy away from holding this Government to account, whatever direction the Minister chooses to take with the current Advisory Panel, and will not allow them to cause further harm to those we serve. We recognise the privilege this position brings and will continue to work alongside our diverse Members to protect our communities in every way we can.