The LGB Alliance has officially been registered as a charity.
The Charity Commission, which registers and regulate charities in England and Wales, confirmed that the organisation has been approved onto the register as their purposes fall within the legal definition of charity.
According to Gov, there were “a number of objections to the registration of LGBA as a charity” that the Commission took into careful consideration, including a petition that has garnered over 35,000 signatures.
However, the Commission later said that a charity “can promote the rights of one or more specific groups, but may not do so whilst demeaning the rights of others, including on social media,” which makes no sense at all.
The LGB Alliance, which rose to prominence in 2020, have continuously used their platform to “assert the rights of lesbians, bisexuals and gay men to define themselves as same-sex attracted” while excluding trans individuals.
Last year, Allison Bailey – a criminal defence barrister at Garden Court Chambers and supporter of the LGB Alliance – said “gender extremism is about to meet its match” with the rise of the hate group.
The group’s existence has faced plenty of backlash from the very people it claims to be representing – lesbian, gay and bisexual people – who have taken to social media to distance themselves from the “alliance”.
The Commission continued to explain that the LGB Alliance does not denigrate the rights of transgender people as it “engages constructively and respectfully within representatives of the transgender community.”
They used the following statement from the LGB Alliance’s website to back up their decision: “We engage with others respectfully. We discuss, propose, and oppose ideas; we do not attack individuals. Disagreement does not equal hate.
“We do not condone, endorse, or encourage any abusive or discriminatory behaviour towards any group or individual.”
The Commission added: “If LGB Alliance presents its view in such a way that respects the dignity of transgender persons and does not create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, then this is capable furthering charitable purposes.”
The LGB Alliance welcomed the decision on social media, saying they are “keen to get on with our charitable aims of advancing the interests of LGB people,” with the hashtags “#SexNotGender” and “#ProgressiveLGBPolicies”.
In December, Dame Melanie Dawes – the Chief Executive of Ofcom – said it would be “extremely inappropriate” to quote the LGB Alliance on trans-related matters.
She made the comments after John Nicolson, the MP for Ochil & South Perthshire, said: “I notice that the BBC seems to be under the impression that it needs to ‘balance’ all its reports about trans issues now, by calling in transphobic groups like the so-called LGB Alliance to give a counter argument.
“I think this is absurd because you would never do a report on racism, for example, and call in a racist organisation to say that they don’t think black people have a right to equality.”
You can read The Charity Commission’s full reasoning behind registering the LGB Alliance as an official charity here.
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