UK

LGB Alliance’s Queen’s jubilee grant suspended amid searing backlash

Activists protest outside the first annual LGB Alliance conference

Activists protest outside the first annual LGB Alliance conference in October, 2021. (In Pictures via Getty/ Mark Kerrison)

National Lottery Funding awarded to anti-trans lobby group LGB Alliance to celebrate The Queen’s jubilee has been suspended following widespread outrage.

On Monday (11 April), LGB Alliance announced that it was “thrilled” to have been awarded funding by Arts Council England’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund, which is awarding National Lottery funds for creative projects to mark the platinum jubilee.

The group, which campaigns against “the damaging theory of gender identity”, tweeted: “We’re thrilled to have been awarded funding from Arts Council England’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund to make our film Queens, celebrating gay lives and marking 70 years since her majesty The Queen ascended the throne. Huge thanks to National Lottery players.”

According to data from Arts Council England, the LGB Alliance was due to be given £9,400 for the film.

Strangely, despite a release date two months from now, the group has never before mentioned Queens on its website or social media platforms. LGB Alliance did not respond to requests for comment by PinkNews.

The awarding of the funding, which was decided by the London Community Foundation, prompted swift backlash.

Following the widespread condemnation, a National Lottery tweet in support of the group was deleted, and Arts Council England told PinkNews in a statement: “We believe every person in this country should get to enjoy high quality cultural experiences. The Let’s Create Jubilee Fund is run by UK Community Foundations, and 44 individual community foundations make decisions on who to fund locally.

“We have been made aware of concerns about the funding to the LGB Alliance. This decision was made by the London Community Foundation, and we are now following up on this with UK Community Foundations.

“Over 700 awards have been made as part of Let’s Create Jubilee Fund, supporting a huge range of amazing projects that will enable communities across the country to celebrate The Queen’s platinum jubilee. It is designed to support community and voluntary organisations to put creative activity at the heart of their platinum jubilee celebrations.”

The London Community Foundation later announced that the funding had been suspended.

It tweeted: “On 30 March 2022, following a standard application review and due diligence, LCF (London Community Foundation) awarded LGB Alliance a grant for its Queens – 70 Years of Queer History as part of the Arts Council England Let’s Create Jubilee Fund.

“As of today, we have become aware that the charitable status of the organisation is being questioned. In line with our usual practice where a grantee is under investigation or review, this grant is suspended.”

LGB Alliance has been branded an “anti-trans hate group” by high-profile LGBT+ figures, charities, organisations and MPs since its launch in October 2019, including Pride in London, SNP lawmaker John Nicolson, journalist Owen Jones and actor David Paisley. Searing criticism has also been levelled at the group by the likes of It’s a Sin creator Russell T Davies and openly gay footballer John Cavallo.

Labour’s shadow minister for women and equalities, Taiwo Owatemi, said that the group “should be rejected by all those who believe in equality”.

While LGB Alliance continues to deny it is transphobic, legal action is currently underway to appeal its charitable status.

Mermaids, supported by LGBT+ Consortium, Gendered Intelligence, LGBT Foundation, TransActual and Good Law Project, are appealing the Charity Commission’s decision to award the group charity status, with the case to be heard in September 2022.

A CrowdJustice page set up to raise funds for the case reads: “Charitable status is earned by those who serve the public good. Denigrating trans people, attacking those who speak for them, and campaigning to remove legal protections from them is the very opposite of a public good.

“Whatever sweet nothings the so-called ‘LGB Alliance’ whispered into the ear of the Charity Commission, the truth was set out in a speech by LGB Alliance director Bev Jackson on 9 March 2020.

“She described their real goal as follows: ‘We’re applying for charitable status and building an organisation to challenge the dominance of those who promote the damaging theory of gender identity.'”

LGB Alliance has been contacted for comment.

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