Charity Commission launches investigation into Sex Matters

Content warning: sexual assault

Good Law Project has learned that the transphobic group closely aligned with JK Rowling, Sex Matters, is being investigated by the Charity Commission.

The news follows a complaint made to the Charity Commission by Good Law Project’s founder Jolyon Maugham KC about Sex Matters. Maugham complained of its decision to platform the activist Richard Dunstan, who speculated that, as a child, Maugham had “secretly enjoyed” being “buggered by some dirty old men,” endorsing a profoundly harmful myth that child victims of rape enjoy it.

In its response, the Charity Commission said:

“The issues you have raised have been passed to the Regulatory Compliance team to consider as part of our ongoing case into the charity.”

Good Law Project has previously funded a challenge brought by Mermaids to the Charity Commission’s decision to register the anti-trans hate group LGB Alliance as a charity.

The tribunal in that challenge found that:

“Mermaids submits that LGBA has gone beyond the boundaries of civilised debate. In the registration Decision as extracted above, the Commission can be seen to have had similar concerns. In light of the evidence, we consider that these were well-founded.”

However, the challenge failed on a technical standing ground. As the tribunal put the matter:

“notwithstanding significant time being spent on deliberation in trying to do so, the two members of the panel hearing this appeal have been unable to reach agreement on whether, if Mermaids does have standing, LGBA is a charity within the meaning of the 2011 Act.”

Sex Matters did not respond to a request for comment.