Therapy Now
This content was last updated Dec. 8, 2023, 3:54 p.m. UTC
Therapy Now (formerly Sex Matters) is a UK based anti-trans radical feminist organization dedicated to opposing trans inclusion in gendered spaces, such as in healthcare, science, and prisons. It was created by prominent anti-trans activist Maya Forstater in response to her public outcry about being fired over transphobic beliefs.
The group is also notable for hosting a petition that sought to amend the wording of how gender is treated in the 2010 Equality Act, with the goal of prohibiting trans people’s inclusion in single-gender spaces with their cisgender peers. This petition was signed by J.K. Rowing and received over 100,000 signatures.
[Trans] ideology has no basis in law or science and is fundamentally homophobic, since it denies the very existence of same-sex orientation, and the right of same-sex oriented people to organise and campaign on their own behalf and without reference to anyone else.
Founding
Sex Matters is a private company limited by guarantee based in London, England. It was founded on October 26, 2020, and initially consisted of three individuals - Maya Forstater, Rebecca Bull, and Anne Palmer.
On January 1, 2021, Anne Palmer was removed from her position of being someone with majority control and Naomi Cunningham and Emma Hilton were added as people with majority control. They also have Michael Briggs as a director, and Julia Casimo as a secretary and director. Sex matters has described Helen Joyce as their director of advocacy, though she is not listed as such on public company documents.
Of their purpose, they have stated to the UK Parliament, “Sex Matters is a not-for-profit organisation which advocates for clarity about sex in language, policy and law, in order to safeguard the human rights, health, safety and dignity of everybody.”
Finances
In their filing for 2021, Sex Matters listed £84,000 in current assets. They do not report any employees and as such do not report any compensation. A significant portion of their funding may be obtained from donations, as they advertise the ability of people to give donations prominently across their website.
History of Anti-LGBTQ+ Activism
Sex Matters’ primary purpose is to advocate against trans inclusion in spaces where others of their gender are allowed.
Their website includes a guide for journalists on how they believe trans people should be discussed in the media. This includes claims that non-binary individuals should not be treated as non-binary but rather their “biological sex,” and describes misgendering someone as telling “the truth.” They also feature a weekly newsletter going back to 2021, which discusses the latest news and events from an anti-trans perspective.
They also have done direct campaigning to the UK government to oppose trans inclusion, including writing at length to oppose including trans people in the Gender Recognition Act.
On October 25, 2023, Sex Matters released model legislation that would effectively ban all gender transitioning procedures, for both minors and adults. In their justification for it, they equate transitioning to conversion therapy. They quote detransitioner testimonies and suggest that gender affirming care is often the result of internalized homophobia and misogyny and that treatment doesn’t “actually” change your sex. The model legislation specifically states that providing “medical or surgical treatment” would be considered an offense if it was “for the purpose of modifying sexual characteristics”.
Equality Act Petition
On November 20, 2023, Sex Matters created a petition on the official Parliament website in order to make the 2010 Equality Act more explicit in excluding trans folks. Framed as a eclarification of terminology, the effect of their preferred changes would be to bar trans individuals entirely from spaces exclusive to their identified gender.
This petition was being featured in news outlets such as The Guardian and Irish News. In addition to being signed and promoted by J.K. Rowling, it also garnered over 100,000 signatures, and managed to prompt a debate on the floor of Parliament.
Currently, the petition has not resulted in any legislative change, and has been met with a response from the UK government that they do not view it as necessary to change the wording of the law to abide by this petition.