How charities are backing trans rights

During the summer of 2023, a campaign has been launched to encourage charity leaders to show their support for the transgender community.  

This pledge, which encourages charities to back trans rights, address discrimination, and tackle anti-trans hate, has been launched by the campaign group Charity So Straight.  

Within a month of its July launch, the group’s #StandWithTrans campaign had been backed by 240 charity leaders and representatives from the sector.  

This includes chief executives of small charities as well as leaders of some of the UK’s largest and well-known charities, including Samaritans, Oxfam, The Children’s Society and Teenage Cancer Trust. Seasoned L.G.B.T.+ campaigners, such as Peter Tatchell, have also backed the campaign.  

“We’ve never witnessed such hostility directed specifically at the trans community, and it’s time we collectively said, enough is enough,” says #StandWithTrans Founder Kevin Taylor-McKnight. 
 
“The alarming reality is a calculated assault” on L.G.B.T.+ rights, he says, that is “designed to fracture our society”.  

“It’s causing real and irreparable damage, especially to trans and non-binary people,” he adds. 

Here we look in detail at the campaign, its pledges, and why it is important. 

What is transphobia? 

People can be or “identify as” transgender if their gender identity is inconsistent with the sex they were assigned at birth.  

According to Charity So Straight, transphobia is “a rejection of trans identity and a refusal to acknowledge that those identities are real or valid”. Transphobia may include deliberate and repeated misgendering or incorrect use of pronouns, including when a person is not present.  

It can also include “deadnaming” a trans person by using their name given to them at birth or prior to transitioning that they no longer use. 

Other transphobic behaviour can include offensive jokes directed at someone’s trans identity, inappropriate questioning, and excluding trans people from discussions.  

According to the charity Stonewall, two in five trans people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months.  

What is the #StandWithTrans campaign? 

Charity So Straight has launched the campaign as it wants to see greater support for the trans community, particularly among civil society, as anti-trans rhetoric is at a “dangerous precipice”. 

It calls on charity leaders to pledge to tackle any homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and queerphobia in their organisation’s policies, procedures, and communications. 

It also urges everyone to share their pronouns and for charities to understand why they are so important in the context of diversity. 

Another pledge is to engage with Pride month in a meaningful way. Charities should also encourage trustees to recruit L.G.B.T.+ people. 

Taylor-McKnight adds that “contrary to the biased views of some influential transphobic groups with deep pockets” recent polling shows that the average Briton is either supportive or ambivalent towards trans inclusion. 
 
“We can either stand for equality and progress, or we can, of course, choose to say nothing. But if we say nothing, we are leaving space that is being filled with anti-trans hate,” he says. 
 
“We’re calling for all sector leaders to stand with us, and to make a clear commitment stating that the voluntary sector is, and will remain, a safe, welcoming, and inclusive place for all trans and non-binary people’’. 

Charity and tech leader support 

Among charity leaders to sign the pledge is Samaritans’ Chief Executive Julie Bentley. She is backing the campaign as she wants “Samaritans to be a safe place for all people to work, volunteer and seek help, including trans people” adding “we still have work to do but as part of our ongoing commitment to inclusion we are working with our diversity network group for L.G.B.T.+ volunteers to ensure we achieve this.” 

Funders are also backing the campaign, including the Co-op Foundation. Its Chair Jamie Ward-Smith says: “Right now our trans colleagues and friends are facing unprecedented levels of discrimination in our society so it’s crucial that we show them and everyone else that our sector is a safe and welcoming place to work and access support.” 
 
Small charity supporters include Kay Hallsworth, Chief Executive of Gosport Voluntary Action in Hampshire.  

“As an ally and an advocate for inclusion in the workplace I fully support the #StandWithTrans campaign,” she says. 

“So many people in our community have spent years hidden away and afraid to be themselves, as L.G.B.T.+…because they didn’t know where they could find help and support or feel included.” 

Another small charity leader, Mark Upton, Chief Executive of MyVision Oxfordshire, says: “I want the sight loss sector to be a welcoming place for all L.G.B.T.+  people and want to ensure trans people particularly feel welcome.” 

Charity tech specialists to support the campaign include Zoe Amar Digital Director Zoe Amar, who says: “I’m signing because a campaign like this has never been more important.” 

Another charity tech leader, Platypus Digital Manager Director Matt Collins, adds: “Transphobia is a worrying trend. We want to counter the tide by showing that we stand against it as allies.” 

Meanwhile, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “Trans rights are human rights. No L.G.B without the T. Stop the toxic war on trans people.”