The Charity of Children’s Charity is asking judges to remove its charity from the LGB Alliance, claiming that the organization is just a front for transphobia. But Karon Monaghan KC, representing the LGB Alliance, claimed Mermaids had not suggested the charity was a “scam”. On the contrary, the case, which included evidence of social media posts, was based on “hints” and “conspiracy” to indicate that they were “aimed at deceiving” the charity committee on their work. He said that during the hearing, Mermaids had suggested that words such as sexual orientation, sex -based rights and lesbians, homosexuals and bisexuals “were used to mark the position against trans rights”. “This is deeply offensive and is deeply homophobic, it is again the love that cannot say its name,” Mrs Monaghan told court. He said that if this is the “stigma” associated with these words “pushing homosexual people back in the closet”.
Protecting “red flags”
Michael Gibbon KC, representing the Mermaids, denied any accusation of homophobia. He told the court that the LGB Alliance was trying to undermine transgender charities such as Mermaids by “promoting the view that they are spreading misinformation and seeking to deprive them of funding”. The court in downtown London heard that the two charities have virtually disagreed with transit issues, with the LGB alliance taking the place that you cannot change your biological sex there. Mermaids started legal actions, arguing that it should be removed from the charity regime, arguing that it was just a front for transphobia and a political campaign to prevent changes in law. It is believed to be the first time that a charity has ever questioned the registration of another charity. Separate in court, Mermaids is subject to a investigation by the Charity Committee, which opened a “case of regulatory compliance” following a Telegraph investigation that revealed that it protects “red flags” in its transactions with children. Ms Monaghan told the judges that “mermaids’ charity status is not the subject of scrutiny here”, but reminded them that the trans charity was also involved in political lobbying, including demanding changes to the Equality Act to cover gender identity . In summary of the case, he said: “If this court considered that in some ways the political activity of the Mermaids did not undermine the charity nature of their objects, but the political activity of the LGB Alliance would take a position in relation to them. It is important and concludes that sex critical beliefs are somehow inherently political and contested, while the ideology of gender identity is somewhat more neutral and stable. “
“A process of engagement and discussion”
Charity organizations are legally allowed to participate in political activity to some extent, as long as it seeks their charitable goals. The Charity Committee, who is the first defendant in the case as the Mermaids say he should not have granted a regime, said he was sure that the group of gay, lesbian and bisexuals was pursuing charity activities when he enrolled in April 2021. Iain Stele KC, who represents the regulatory authority, said it is up to the court to decide on all the information that came to light if the LGB Alliance should maintain its registration. But he said that just because the charities disagreed was no reason to remove the LGB alliance regime. “It would not be enough for Mermaids to show that the alliance seeks to win the public debate and support its views on the specific human rights requirements,” the judges told the judges. “This is because the public as a whole is benefiting from a process of engagement and discussion between those who have different prospects. Even if they are conducted in a way that may not be cooperative, they eventually work together on behalf of the whole society to identify the right balance to achieve these extremely difficult and problematic issues. “ The Court of First Instance in Central London is expected to issue its ruling next year.
