Proud Changemakers launched a survey to understand how LGBTQIA+ people and organisations in the voluntary sector are being affected by legal and regulatory changes on the definition of ‘sex’ and ‘gender’.

The survey is designed to capture experiences that people and charities may be having as a result of recent legal and regulatory changes relating to sex and gender in the law.

This includes the Supreme Court’s ruling on sex as defined in the Equality Act 2010 from April 2025, and the interim guidance published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in the following weeks.

Proud Changemakers seeks to understand what impact these changes are having on the voluntary sector as a whole. This includes charities, their staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

There is a lot of discourse about how charities, not just those who are specifically LGBTQIA+ charities, could be affected in differing ways by the changes, the surrounding media and political attention.

By doing this survey, Proud Changemakers aims to understand the real impact, and to discover any similarities or differences for a range of charities.

Luca Straker (they/them), CEO of Proud Changemakers said: “LGBTQIA+ people contribute so much to the voluntary sector as employees and as volunteers. We are a cornerstone of the sector. And now we are faced with a constant increase of anxiety around how we will be able to work, volunteer and engage with charities in the future. We really hope that people right across the sector participate in this survey so we can highlight the true impact it is having on our LGBTQIA+ communities and help charities ensure their workplaces are a safe haven for LGBTQIA+ people - and ultimately for everyone else.”

You do not have to identify as LGBTQIA+ personally, or work/volunteer for a specifically LGBTQIA+ charity to complete this survey. The survey is open to anyone who works, volunteers or receives support from civil society organisations.

Those who hold multiple roles are asked to complete the survey once focusing on one organisation only. It is a short and accessible survey, which should be simple to complete.

The survey will be open from 5pm Wednesday 14th January 2026 to 5pm Wednesday 25th February 2026.

Proud Changemakers will use the evidence gathered to inform their work. This includes influencing government and decision makers, supporting civil society, and advocating for better support for LGBTQIA+ people within and beyond the sector.

You can access the survey and our blog post with more detail here https://wwwproudchangemakers.org/voice..

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