Finding support and solidarity in the wake of the UK Supreme Court judgment in For WomenScotland Ltd v The Scottish Minister – for LGBTQ+ persons in the charity sector and beyond

Author: Suneet Sharma

Given the recent findings from the UK Supreme Court in this case we at Proud Changemakers acknowledge the negative impact this judgment has on the community and at this vital time for showing solidarity would like to highlight support out there for those who feel understandably distressed, marginalised and in fear due to this judgment.

This piece will not focus on the implications of the judgment, which are still to be seen. Proud Changemakers has signed the statement from the Consortium of LGBTQ+ Voluntary Organisations on this matter which can be found here.

We are focusing on helping form solidarity in and with the community and to assist those who have been negatively impacted by this news as the LGBTQIA+ membership organisation for individuals in the charity sector. At Proud Changemakers we will keep a close eye on these developments so we can support the community through these times and highlight the support that is needed in the sector.

We appreciate many of you will be feeling distress and that there are numerous headlines, commentary and statements which have been published on this topic. We support you unequivocally and the community is here for you. Our rights are hard fought for but this fight will continue.

If you find yourself struggling with this news, we would like to highlight the following resources:

• LGBT Foundation, helpline on 0345 3 30 30 30 and email helpline@lgbt.foundation, Mon – Fri 9:00AM – 8:30PM and Weekends 10:00AM – 5:30PM
  

• Mermaids, for trans specific support, Monday – Friday, 1pm – 8:30pm, 0800 801 0400 and Webchat with the same hours, https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/
  

• LGBT Switchboard, runs the national LGBTQIA+ support line, 0800 0119100
  

• MindOut, for LGBTQIA+ mental health support live chat, https://mindout.org.uk/:
  Every Monday 3:00pm – 5:00pm (we aim to provide volunteers who are People of Colour)
  Every Tuesday 3:00pm – 5:00pm (we aim to provide volunteers who are Trans/Non-binary)
  Every Wednesday 3:00pm – 5:00pm (general LGBTQ support)
  

• Samaritan’s Helpline on 116 123, open 24/7
  

• Galop for the National Helpline for LGBTQ+ Victims and Survivors of Abuse and Violence, 0800 999 5428, email help@galop.org.uk