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# Religious charities could continue promoting homophobia under new watchdog powers, campaigners warn
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/religious-charities-could-continue-promoting-homophobia-under-new-watchdog-powers-campaigners-warn/
- Published: 2026-10-15T13:29:08.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-15T13:29:08.000Z
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: News

Campaigners have warned that new powers proposed for the **Charity Commission** could still leave LGBTQ+ people exposed to homophobia from religious charities.

The **National Secular Society** (NSS) has welcomed plans to give the charity regulator stronger powers to tackle extremism, but says the proposals fail to address hatred directed at LGBTQ+ people and women.

Under the Government's consultation, the Charity Commission for England and Wales would gain powers to disqualify trustees and senior charity figures who promote or encourage hatred based on race, religion or belief. The measures would also target those who use charity resources to host events or speakers spreading such views.

However, the NSS argues the proposals do not extend the same protections to people targeted because of their sexual orientation or sex.

The secularist organisation said many of the complaints it submits to the Charity Commission concern religious charities promoting anti-LGBTQ+ and misogynistic messages rather than hatred based on race or religion.

NSS head of campaigns **Megan Manson** said the omission risked sending a damaging message. "Greater powers to tackle charities which promote violence, or hatred based on race or religion or belief, are of course welcome and long overdue," she said.

> "We will engage with the Government to urge them to adopt more robust prohibitions on promoting misogyny, homophobia and other hateful ideologies which are too often cloaked under 'the advancement of religion'."

"But the failure to protect women and LGBT people, who are too often the subject of stigmatising sermons hosted by religious charities, is unacceptable.

"This omission may even send the message that women and LGBT people are fair game for hate and discrimination."

The Government said hatred relating to race, religion and belief accounts for the majority of the Charity Commission's extremism-related casework. But the NSS argues this overlooks the prevalence of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric being promoted under the banner of religion.

The organisation has long campaigned against what it describes as discriminatory teachings spread by some religious charities and has repeatedly called for reform of charity law. In particular, it wants the legal charitable purpose of "the advancement of religion" removed, arguing this can allow organisations promoting harmful ideologies to benefit from charitable status.

While the proposed reforms would also make it easier to disqualify charity leaders who promote violence, the NSS said they would do little to address the underlying ideologies that can fuel hostility towards LGBTQ+ people.

Manson said the organisation would urge ministers to strengthen the plans to explicitly include protections against homophobia, misogyny and other forms of discrimination. "We will engage with the Government to urge them to adopt more robust prohibitions on promoting misogyny, homophobia and other hateful ideologies which are too often cloaked under 'the advancement of religion'," she said.

The consultation also includes measures designed to make it easier to remove extremists from charity leadership positions, including people excluded from entering the UK because of concerns over extremism.

The NSS pointed to its previous campaign against Islamic preacher **Zakir Naik**, who was barred from entering the UK in 2010 and later disqualified from leading a UK charity. It said the proposed powers could make it easier for regulators to act in similar cases in future.

However, campaigners insist broader reform is needed to prevent charities benefiting from public support while continuing to promote messages that stigmatise LGBTQ+ people.

The Government consultation on the proposed powers is currently open, with the NSS calling for explicit protections for LGBTQ+ people to be included before any legislation is brought forward.