Today was the second day of the hearing of Mermaids versus the Charity Commission regarding the status of the LGB Alliance.

Paul Roberts, CEO of LGBT+ Consortium, gave evidence in support of Mermaids.

LGB Alliance’s legal team cross-examined Mr Roberts on his Witness Statement for several hours, and under intense questioning, he was clear that Consortium’s view is that trans women are women, trans men are men, and trans people belong in the LGBT community.

The tribunal also ruled in favour of publishing documents relevant to the case, including skeleton arguments and witness statements.

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) supporting transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people, their families and professionals involved in their care. 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 to 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].