LGB Alliance Wins Legal Challenge vs. Trans Charity Mermaids

The attempt of transgender charity Mermaids to remove the LGB Alliance from the charity register has been dismissed by the UK's Charity Commission Thursday (July 6).

According to the BBC, Mermaids launched the legal challenge after the LGB Alliance was registered by the Charity Commission in 2021. The legal challenge by the group, which was established in 1995 to support children and young people questioning their gender identity, was also seen as the first of its kind in the UK.

The LGB Alliance supports lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, but Mermaids alleged the group was undermining its charitable activities.

While Mermaids and its supporters might have been affected by the LGB Alliance "emotionally and/or socially," based on its allegations the LGB Alliance sought to "destroy" its reputation and sources of funding, this did not give them the legal right to appeal against their charity registration, the tribunal ruled.

On the other hand, the LGB Alliance insisted they are not transphobic and does not endorse discriminatory behavior towards any group or individual.

In their written ruling, the judges said the case was not about the "rights of gender diverse people, or about the rights of gay, lesbian and bisexual people", but focussed on a "small part" of the law regulating charities.

The Charity Commission added its role was not to regulate public debate on sensitive issues but to apply the law when registering charities.

A Costly Legal Battle

While relieved the challenge was over, LGB Alliance CEO Kate Barker said the cost the legal challenge took to the organization and to its supporters was "huge.

"We've got projects like a helpline, friends' groups, and student networks, and a lot of those things were on hold because we had a cloud hanging over us," she added.

Meanwhile, Mermaids said the ruling had "no reflection" on it as an organization and that its work would continue while considering whether to appeal the case.

Good Law Project director Jolyon Maugham, whose group represented Mermaids in the tribunal, observed the judges took a long time to make a decision because they "found it impossible" to rule the LGB Alliance's charitable status due to a "toxic discourse" about the rights of trans people.

During the case, the LGB Alliance said the attempt to de-register them was "profoundly homophobic," while Mermaids retorted the LGB Alliance was persistently "attacking" them.

The Charity Commission urged both groups to respect and tolerate each other. "Demonizing and undermining those who think differently is not acceptable from any charity on our register," it added.