The Tribunal has agreed to hear our arguments as to why the LGB so-called Alliance (LGBA) should not have been given charitable status. This means we, as the main claimant in the case, will have the opportunity to present the full facts as to why LGBA’s activities are not those of a charity. The hearing will take place in May 2022.
The LGBA wanted a separate hearing to determine whether or not we had what’s called “legal standing” – whether we could bring the claim at all. We believe they wanted to close the conversation without having to properly explain themselves. We said that this would only have duplicated work in the long-run, and the Tribunal agreed. The LGBA will still get to argue that our claim lacks standing, but only as part of the wider hearing.
To be registered as a charity, an organisation must be established exclusively for purposes which the law recognises as charitable, and it must pursue them in a way which gives rise to tangible benefits that outweigh any associated harms. We don’t believe that the legal threshold has been met.
We welcome a full hearing. A spokesperson for Mermaids said: “We are pleased that the Tribunal has made the decision that there will be one hearing that deals with everything. We look forward to the hearing where the LGB Alliance will have to explain themselves.
“To be registered as a charity, an organisation must be established exclusively for charitable purposes. LGB Alliance does not stand for LGB rights, but exists to divide our community and denigrate trans people and those who support them.”
In addition to our grounds of appeal, we have now submitted two replies, one to the Charity Commission and now one to LGB Alliance.
We are hugely grateful for your support so far. If you are able to make a donation to the CrowdJustice fundraiser backing our appeal, you can do so here.
Notes to editors
1. Read the appeal grounds in full as filed here as well as the supporting documents here.
2. Mermaids is a UK-wide charity (registered charity number 1160575) working to support transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people, their families and the professionals who support them. Our goal is to create a world where gender-diverse children and young people can be themselves and thrive. Services include a helpline, web chat and online forums for parents and young people, as well as face-to-face meet-ups for peer support. We also provide training into organisations and advocate for a fairer society for trans young people.
3. The appeal is being supported by a number of leading organisations, including Good Law Project, the LGBT+ Consortium, LGBT Foundation, Gendered Intelligence and TransActual.
4. This appeal is being crowdfunded.
5. Any media enquiries should be directed to [email protected].