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Proud Changemakers calls on the Charity Commission to provide practical, sector-specific guidance and urges organisations to keep kindness, inclusion and real people at the heart of every decision.

Proud Changemakers has today launched a new report revealing significant concern, uncertainty and emotional distress across civil society as charities navigate recent changes to legal guidance around the definitions of sex and gender.

The Proud Changemakers Survey for Civil Society Report  found that 63% of respondents said the changes had already affected their organisation - and this was before the Code of Practice was released. However, no respondents said their organisation had received support to help them navigate those changes.

The survey also found:

• 45% said their organisation had not yet made changes to policy, practice or service delivery.

• 57% said they would need to seek advice or guidance to navigate future changes.

• 24% had received no advice, guidance, information or support.

• Respondents repeatedly described feelings including fear, anxiety, dread and uncertainty, with some reporting a significant effect on the wellbeing and mental health of staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

Organisations reported having to review policies, reconsider services, invest in facilities and divert already limited time and money away from their charitable work. One volunteer-led organisation said it had cancelled activities partly because volunteers had been so affected by the increasingly hostile environment.

The report warns that small and volunteer-led charities are particularly vulnerable. Many cannot afford specialist legal advice, yet are being asked to interpret complex and evolving issues while continuing to support their staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

Luca Straker (they/them), CEO of Proud Changemakers, said:

“Behind every policy, legal decision and operational change are real people. Trans, non-binary and intersex people are not an abstract debate. They are our colleagues, volunteers, beneficiaries, friends and family and their safety and wellbeing are being affected now.

“Charities want to do the right thing, but it is neither fair nor sustainable to leave organisations, especially small and volunteer-led charities, to work through complex questions alone. We are calling on the Charity Commission to listen, research the impact across the sector and work with others to provide practical, accessible and sector-specific guidance.

“We are also asking every leader, trustee and decision-maker to keep people at the heart of every step. Listen to those affected, choose inclusion wherever possible and, above all, be kind.”

The report calls on the Charity Commission to undertake further research into the impact of the changes to legal guidance across civil society and use that evidence to inform its work as the sector’s regulator.

It also calls for the Commission, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, infrastructure organisations, membership bodies and unions to work together to develop accessible guidance and support that reflects the realities faced by charities.

Proud Changemakers is encouraging charity leaders and trustees to engage meaningfully with their LGBTQIA+ staff, volunteers and beneficiaries; make inclusive services, policies and practices the default; and take careful, measured and transparent decisions where needs or rights may appear to conflict.

The charity is also calling on policymakers and regulators to engage meaningfully with trans, non-binary and intersex people when developing policy, legislation and regulation that will affect their lives.

Luca added:

“Civil society should be a place where everyone can contribute, access support and thrive. The sector has always been at its best when it connects, collaborates and acts with compassion.

“We know organisations are facing difficult questions. Our message is that nobody should have to navigate them alone and nobody should lose sight of the human beings at the centre of them.”

The report was launched at a Proud Changemakers webinar on Thursday 23 July 2026. Speakers included Proud Changemakers Chair, Heather Paterson (she/her), CEO Luca Straker (they/them) and Head of Campaigns Catherine Goodall (she/her).

The webinar explored why the survey was conducted, its findings and the charity’s recommendations for creating a safer and more inclusive civil society.