The UK wokerati went into meltdown this week, frothing with rage about a new gay rights group. On Tuesday, the Charity Commission confirmed the aims of the LGB Alliance to be “beneficial to the public” and accepted their application. Had the “Society for Eating Puppies” been granted charitable status it would’ve been more warmly welcomed.

The LGB Alliance ought not to be controversial. Founded by veteran gay rights campaigners, it exists to “advance the interests of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals”. But the decision of the LGB Alliance not to include the “T” (those who identify as trans) has seen them branded hateful bigots. This is about as logical as complaining that the Cats Protection League is cruel for excluding dogs.

The charities which once stood-up for the right to be homosexual now undermine the concept

Woke politicians, NGOs and celebrities have been unable to contain their disgust, pointing and shrieking at the decision as if it were a shit in a swimming pool. First up, John Nicolson MP published an open letter demanding an explanation, despite the lengthy document from the Charity Commission setting-out their reasoning in full. Next was Mhairi Black MP, warning the Charity Commission “risks its own credibility by actively choosing to normalise and reward hatred and venom”. This was followed by a slew of complaints from trans and LGBT organisations. But outside the world of the woke, what the LGB Alliance stand for would simply be understood as common sense.

Compared to elsewhere, the UK is a great place to be in a same sex relationship; legislative changes now mean that there is parity between people of all sexual orientations and legal redress when necessary. But a new threat has emerged which undermines the freedoms LGB people enjoy, it comes in the form of generally well-meaning policies to support those who identify as transgender. This is why the LGB Alliance are both loved and hated.

Kate Harris, one of the founders of the LGB Alliance, has spent her life fighting for equality. She is used to being hated for who she is, but today the animosity comes from those who consider themselves woke:

“The difference is that 50 years ago the people castigating us were predictably reactionary. They supported hanging and flogging, hated socialism and were generally anti-immigration — exemplified on TV by Alf Garnett in Till Death Do Us Part. They didn’t like homosexuals one little bit — it was all part of their world view. What is so extraordinary about today’s critics is the appetite for pretence and lies: pretence that they are forward thinking when the ideology they promote reinforces gender stereotypes from the 1950s, and lies that spread confusion and disorientation about people they should be supporting.”

Stonewall, the UK’s largest LGBT charity, is a little coy about spelling-out what full “trans inclusion” means; one suspects they’re aware that the notion of a “lesbian with meat-and-two-veg” will not play well with the general public. But this is the reality that underscores the belief that “trans men are men” and “transwomen are women.” Lesbian dating apps are now awash with males with five o’clock shadow who, like a Bernard Manning joke, insist they’re “lesbians on the inside”.

It seems anything goes, so long as one is ideologically pure

Similarly, gay male culture is being pulled-apart thanks to the addition of straight females who identify as gay men. Chiyo Gomes is one such; in an interview for Attitude magazine Gomes explained: “I have no qualms openly talking about how my pussy bleeds and how difficult that makes navigating spaces as a gay man,” adding “I am not on hormones and I have no intention of getting any procedures done.” Gomes, despite being female, is a finalist in Mr Gay UK. In a grotesque irony, the charities which once stood-up for the right to be homosexual now undermine the concept.

The clash between the LGB and T was sparked by a decision made by Stonewall’s previous CEO, Baroness Ruth Hunt. In 2015 Stonewall officially became trans-inclusive, before accepting a donation of £90,000 to “integrate trans-specific work” in 2016.

With the fight for same sex marriage won in 2013, charities like Stonewall needed a new group to represent. In the years since they have widened their remit and activities further, including ever-more niche identities such as asexuals, pansexuals and even cross-dressers. Stonewall have also begun to support campaigns for the full decriminalisation of prostitution, though it remains unclear where this fits within their charitable aims.

Today, many gays and lesbians are once again made to feel shame for their same sex desire

Today, many gays and lesbians are once again made to feel shame for their same sex desire. Others have become angry about the yoking together of sexual orientation with gender identity. When, in 2018, a group of lesbian protestors marched to the front of Pride in London with banners reading “Trans activism is misogyny” and “Lesbians don’t have dicks”, they were castigated in the mainstream gay and lesbian press.

The same year during Manchester Pride one of the organisers quipped on stage that “They [lesbian protestors] should have been dragged off by their saggy tits.” Pride in London, the LGBT Foundation and Stonewall all released statements condemning the action by the lesbian protestors. The same organisations who this week condemned the granting of charitable status to the LGB Alliance. A cynic might suggest they feel threatened by the competition.

At the Pride parades that take place across the world one can celebrate any kink or niche identity; human pups take their place in the pack alongside police officers and the polyamorous. Those who are pushed out and considered unpalatable are the lesbians, gay men and bisexual people who believe that sexual orientation is attraction to biological sex (rather than gender identity). It seems anything goes, so long as one is ideologically pure.

Reading the Charity Commission’s full ruling, it is clear — away from the glare of social media and bleating demands of ideologues — evidence-based reasoning can still prevail. The temper tantrum thrown by woke politicians and organisations over LGB Alliance becoming a charity is telling; like over-indulged children they are not used to hearing “no”. Their actions have pushed lesbian, gay and bisexual people into a new closet; here’s hoping the LGB Alliance can coax them back out.