A survey has been launched to better understand how LGBTQIA+ organisations and their staff, working in the Charity Sector, are being affected by a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Proud Changemakers recently launched the survey to provide what it says as “…an important step towards understanding how this challenging environment is impacting LGBTQIA+ people
and the charities they connect with…”
The Supreme Court Ruling
Words like "woman" and "sex" had become loaded with different meanings depending on your point of view, and for many years language that had been uncomplicated and accepted, became a battleground.
... And so the
judgement from the Supreme Court in April 2025 intended to draw a line under that.
It argued that for the Equality Act to be consistent, the term ‘woman’ must mean a biological woman; and that this does NOT include biological males, regardless of whether they have certificates to say they have changed gender:
As an example, this would mean that where there are women-only spaces, then a biological man who identifies as a woman cannot use them; this includes changing rooms, toilets, women's refuges, single-sex hospital wards and anywhere designated as for one sex only.
The survey is open to anyone who works, volunteers or receives support from any charity organisations, and Proud Changemakers say it is intended to capture the experiences that people and charities may be having because of recent changes relating to sex and gender in the law.
This will include reviewing the effects of the Supreme Court’s ruling on sex, and the now-withdrawn temporary
guidance published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Proud Changemakers have said trying to respond correctly to the ruling has been a very controversial area, and that many charities have been struggling to navigate, and that people have been deeply affected.
In December 2025, the Charity Commission confirmed that it would not be responsible for enforcing equality legislation.
This followed a decision from the
Women’s Institute and
Girlguiding, who both announced
changes to their membership policies, where they would
no longer offer memberships to transgender women and girls.
Proud Changemakers have said that they have heard about many charities that were not sure about the legality of their existing inclusion policies because of the Supreme Court Ruling.
They also say that while some charities were “values-led” in their response, others are being “very reactive through possible fear of court proceedings against them.”
However, the charity is hopeful that people across the Sector take part in the survey to help highlight the true impact of what the Court Ruling is having on LGBTQIA+ communities.
They also say the survey can help charities make sure their workplaces are a safe place for LGBTQIA+ people, and ultimately everyone else.
The online survey is now open and it closes at 5pm on Wednesday 25th February 2026, after which the charity has said it will use the evidence gathered to inform its work.
More
information and how to take part in the survey can be found at the
Proud Changemakers’ website.