Anti-trans group becomes charity

The LGB Alliance group (LGBA), which pursues an anti-trans agenda, has been granted charitable status by the Charities Commission, despite a petition against the move being signed by over 39,000 people.

The group, which purports to represent the interests of LGB people (noticeably omitting the “T” of LGBT), opposes trans women being admitted into lesbian places, and trans men being allowed into gay male spaces.

They also state that the right to self-identification is a “mortal threat” to gay rights, and suggest that trans people may pose a threat to young children.

“We believe that attempts to introduce confusion between biological sex and the notion of gender are harming LGB people,” the newly registered charity said.

The LGBA was funded in 2019 in opposition to LGBTQ* charity Stonewall’s position on transgender issues.

The group has come in for criticism and condemnation by, among others, Pride in London, MPs Angela Raynor and Dawn Butler, and actor and Holby City actor David Paisley, who wrote on Twitter : “LGB Alliance are not a legitimate charitable organisation, and their actions in seeking to harm the LGBT+ community should disbar them from charitable status.”

He urged people to protest against the Charity Commission’s decision.

The Mermaids charity which has been supporting trans children, young people and their families for over 25 years said that it was deeply disturbed by the Commission’s decision.

“Giving a divisive and polarising anti-trans campaign group such as the LGB Alliance a supposed mark of legitimacy brings into question the Charity Commission’s processes,” it said on Twitter.

“We strongly challenge the suggestion that the LGB Alliance stands for the promotion of equality, diversity and human rights when it actively seeks to exclude transgender and gender-diverse people from the LGBTQ+ movement.

“We consider this decision by the Charity Commission to be a reckless and damaging act of betrayal to transgender and gender-diverse people and our allies.”

In its ruling the Charity Commission said that it had entered the LGBA onto the official charities register despite receiving “a number of objections”.

It also said that it had seen evidence of “very inflammatory and offensive” social media activity by the LGBA, and, after raising it s concerns, had been assured by the group that it had reviewed and revised its social media policy.

It said that “In educating the public about human rights and equality issues relating to the LGB community, LGB Alliance’s position will be there are only two sexes and gender is a social construct, and that this perspective should form part of the discussion about these issues.”

Read the full report here