In a landmark legal case, an LGBTQ+ charity has argued that the LGB Alliance was established to “promote transphobic activity” and therefore should have its status as a charity revoked.
Appearing before a court hearing conducted at the General Regulatory Chamber, the pro-transgenderism Consortium charity argued that the LGB Alliance displays “elements of transphobia”.
In what is believed to be the first instance of one charity suing to remove the charitable status of another, the trans rights charity Mermaids, a member of Consortium which describes itself as “a safe place for transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse young people”, brought legal action against the Charity Commission’s decision to grant the LGB Alliance with charitable status.
The LGB Alliance, which seeks to fight for the rights of lesbians, bisexuals, and gay men that may be impacted by the encroachment of transgender ideology, was accused by Consortium of promoting “transphobic activity”, The Guardian reported.
On the first day of proceedings, Akua Reindorf KC, who represented the LGB Alliance, claimed that there are some inherent conflicting interests between people who identify as transgender and the rights of lesbian, bisexual, and gay people.
In cross-examination of Consortium’s Paul Roberts, Reindorf questioned if they believed that being attracted to people of the same gender was a “qualitatively different thing” than being attracted to the same biological sex, to which Roberts replied: “I don’t believe we live in such a clearcut, binary way.”
Asked if he believes that it is “transphobic to say a person with a female body cannot be a gay man,” Roberts answered: “Yes.”
Roberts went on to say that there were “elements of transphobia” in the LGB Alliance’s attorney highlighting reports that staff at the soon-to-be shuttered Tavistock gender clinic had claimed that children were being pushed towards the belief that they were transgender after displaying same-sex attraction, with Reindorf making the comparison to “conversion therapy”.
Roberts was then pressed on the reported 4,400 per cent rise in the number of young girls — many of whom displayed same-sex attraction — being referred to gender transition services.
“There seems to be an extraordinary sudden rise in same-sex attracted girls identifying as male and seeking a medical pathway. If this is happening, then is it not properly a matter of great concern to an organisation which promotes LGBT rights?” Reindorf asked. Roberts replied that while he is not an expert in the field, he has seen through his charity role “many young trans people and many trans adults living healthy lives, and this would not reflect their experiences”.
Consortium, which distributes National Lottery money to LGBT organisations, barred the LGB Alliance from joining its umbrella group of organisations in 2020, for not including transgender people in its scope.
The trans rights group Mermaids said in skeleton arguments published on Monday that they will argue that the LGB Alliance is “not tackling problems facing lesbian, gay and bisexual people, but rather is seeking to prevent the resolution of problems facing transgender persons”.
The LGB Alliance for its part said that the suit was ideologically motivated and that it originates from a “profound disagreement with LGB Alliance’s approach to the promotion and protection of LGB rights”.
Commenting on the case, feminist campaigner Maya Forstater, who was fired from her job for tweeting that “men cannot change into women,“ said that the transgender lobby has become akin to a “religious belief”.
“Imagine a religion that wanted to shut down charities that did not hold to its belief system, that wanted people driven from their jobs for not holding to its beliefs. Imagine representatives of such an authoritarian religion being given access to shape school policies and curricula. Imagine that religion invited in to coach and assess public bodies in their conformity with its teachings.
“Imagine organisations that are supposed to protect democracy, equality and human rights being timid in front of this attack.”
Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka
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