Some thoughts on Stonewall's rebrand and strategy.
Erm.... does anyone else think that the rebrand is an 'up yours' to EHRC??
They went from LGB to LGBT in 2015 .... now adding "queer, questioning and ace" (asexual .... a spectrum which includes "demisexual", which means heterosexual who experiences sexual attraction based on emotional connection with a person...)
This is likely to mean that lesbian and gay men are a minority in the LGBTQ+ movement.
The government's LGBT survey (not a representative survey, but still interesting) suggests this is already the case amongst 16-24 year olds
Stonewall's charitable objects concern human rights and in particular sexual orientation
The word "women" appears twice, both times prefaced by LBTQ+
There can be no category of women that does not include males who identify as women
Their vision is that "LGBTQ+ people should have the same rights as everybody else"
What rights do "LGBTQ+" people lack in the UK?...
Hmm... 1. A legally enforceable ban on conversion therapy
(there is no evidence of a trend of actual abusive conversion therapy going on in the UK. This is clearly intended to outlaw 'watchful waiting' of children w gender issues) & medical assessment in general
Hate crime and hate speech laws
(this is deeply illiberal and worrying - anonymous hate crime reporting?? 😬)
Legal gender self-ID - including for people who identify as non-binary
They are expanding the Diversity Champions workplace scheme, work in schools, and sports.
And with faith communities and "elders" (the photographs are all of youngers though...)
They lobby governments across he UK to "protect and extend LGBTQ+ rights"
LGBTQ+ is not a category recognised in the Equality Act 2010 - public and private bodies would be wise not to delegate decision making to this lobby group.
It feels like a protection scheme.
Everyone can join.
And anyone who doesn't Stand With Stonewall will be fair game to be reported to their school, university or employer.
You are "Free to Be" what we tell you to be...
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15 months after calling me in for questioning about a tweet, and having sat on the CPS decision that there was no crime for 2 months, the Met bothered to call me up at 7pm this evening to tell me, and then put out this press statement. 🙄
#TheProcessIsThePunishment
Here is the tweet over which they wasted their time, my time, my lawyers time and taxpayers' money.
Minister for Women & Equalities says "We are proud of the EqAct & the rights & protections it affords women. The Govt does not plan to amend legal definitions in the act.”
Hundreds of women are going to Parliament on Wednesday to ask the govt to rethink.
It took 22 more years before 1919 the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act was passed permitting women to become join professions and to become lawyers and civil servants and to sit on juries.
There is new statutory safeguarding guidance out for schools in England which tells them to consider risks and harms to gender questioning children as part of safeguarding.
When this was out for consultation earlier in the year Adam Jepsen, Chief Health and Sex Education Officer of the Family Planning Association said that the government must withdraw it.
"These changes do not support trans children" he argued.
This is not the only topic where university VCs have not defended academic freedom strongly enough, but it is a very good demonstration of the problem.
@bphillipsonMP
Prof @Docstockk was hounded out of @SussexUni
She has been waiting for 3 years for the results of an @officestudents investigation