LGB Alliance supporters on social media rampage over charity’s anti-transphobia tweet
Supporters were quick to slam the charity for its reference to standing in solidarity with trans people in Russia. (Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Supporters of anti-trans lobby LGB Alliance have slammed the charity for its tweet condemning transphobia in Russia.
LGB Alliance, an organisation that has historically campaigned for the “biological definitions of sex”, shocked supporters by tweeting in support of trans people on Saturday (2 December).
“We are horrified by this latest example of Putin weaponising homophobia and transphobia to try and distract from his own failings,” LGB Alliance tweeted, in reference to Russian police raiding queer clubs in Moscow after a Supreme Court ruling branded LGBTQ+ activism “extremist”.
“We stand in solidarity with the LGB and trans people of Russia who deserve equality under the law.”
Supporters were quick to slam the charity for its reference to standing in solidarity with trans people in Russia, with some claiming they would “unfollow” the charity for its apparent U-turn on trans rights.
“So it’s LGB with the T after all then,” one user said, referencing the charity’s previous pushback against including “TQ+” in the acronym LGBTQ+.
Another said: “Unfollowed, and withdrawing my support … the LGBA was created to advocate for same-sex people against the T-agenda.”
The LGB Alliance’s history
The LGB Alliance’s tweet condemning transphobia in Russia is in stark contrast to the charity’s history, with the group largely standing against the trans community since it was created in 2019.
The group was formed by co-founders Bev Jackson, Kate Harris, Allison Bailey, Malcolm Clark and Ann Sinnott after an open letter published by The Sunday Times accused Stonewall of having “undermined women’s sex-based rights and protections” by supporting trans people.
The LGB Alliance applied for charity status in 2020, with an appeal against its charity status appointment reaching over 44,000 signatures shortly after.
It was allowed to remain a registered charity in July after a tribunal dismissed a legal challenge led by trans youth charity Mermaids, who argued that the charity doesn’t truly serve lesbian, gay or bisexual people as it claims to, and instead only excludes trans people.
It has been criticised on numerous occasions for its stance on trans rights, in 2021 claiming that “adding the + to LGB gives the green light to paraphilias like bestiality … to all be part of one big happy ‘rainbow family’.”
A report by the charity released in October claimed that the word “queer” is “derogatory”, that the term “LGBTQ+” is “alphabet soup”, and that “TQ+ lobbyists” are seeking to “erase the notion of sex in a way that also erases homosexuality”.
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The charity has consistently claimed it is not transphobic, saying on its website: “We fully support trans people in their struggle for dignity, respect and a life lived free from bigotry and fear.
“We believe that the issues and priorities for people who are attracted to the same sex (homosexual/bisexual) are different from those of transgender people, and so … our focus is simply on lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people instead.”
PinkNews has contacted the LGB Alliance for comment.
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