Thread by @Nancy_M_K

I’m sad to share that I’ll be leaving @stonewalluk at the end of this month. Sad, but so SO proud of what we’ve achieved in the last three years, working as part of the incredible LGBTQ+ rights movement (BIG 🧵incoming!)

We got through the pandemic, working hard to respond to the escalating needs of LGBTQ+ people across the UK and to adapt to new ways of working.

We rebranded and rebuilt with pro-bono support from the brilliant JKR and Revolt (thankyou!)

We developed and launched our fantastic strategy Free to Be – centering equity, freedom and the potential of LGBTQ+ communities everywhere in the world
stonewall.org.uk/stonewall-stra…

We worked to support the implementation of inclusive RHSE, after *more than three decades* of campaigning for LGBTQ+ children’s right to be safe, seen and heard in education.

And secured changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education that make it clear being LGBTQ+ is *not* a safeguarding risk, though children from our community *are* at elevated risk from others.

After years of campaigning by the movement, the Census in England and Wales counted LGBTQ+ people for the very first time. And now we can see a beautiful picture of generational change, with more and more of us feeling safe to come out 😊

We led the incredible Out of the Margins network, supporting lesbian, bi and queer women’s organisations and trans organisations to conduct research and advocacy programmes on behalf of their own communities🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We worked with our partners during and after the fall of Khabul to support more than 60 LGBTQ+ Afghans to escape and permanently resettle with their families in the UK. This resettlement work continues, because the need continues.

We led the successful campaign to equalize access to #IVFForAll – securing commitment in the government's Women’s Health Strategy (Health Boards need to catch up quick!). No more £25K bills for queer people building their families.👶

We supported the development of the LGBTQ+ Action Plan for Wales – with political leaders setting out a rainbow pathway towards becoming the most LGBTQ+ friendly European nation🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

We worked with partners in the Western Balkans and Turkey to support anonymous hate crime reporting through You Are Heard, and UK partners to launch @zoteria. Because we *all* deserve to be safe.

And after over 6 years of campaigning with the LGBTQ+ and women’s movement in Scotland, we helped secure passage of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill (now Westminster just needs to get out of the way!)🏳️‍⚧️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

We fought, and fought, and fought to keep a comprehensive conversion practices bill on the table. Six years on, the draft bill is stuck on the Prime Ministers desk while our community suffers abuse.

tedxlondon.com/topic/society/…

And we did all of this while subject to unprecedented attacks in the press, sometimes supported by government representatives. We did this despite a huge defunding campaign targeting our partners and funders. All because:

I started this job three years ago clear that supporting the struggle for trans liberation was the defining challenge facing LGBTQ+ organisations in the UK. That *now was the time for all of us to stand up for trans people’s right to live free and equal lives.

I leave this job as the anti-gender / anti-rights movement is running rampant around the globe, and the transphobic moral panic created here in the UK is being exported everywhere. The time for us all to stand up is *long past. We need your help.
equalrightscoalition.org/documents/anti…

I can’t say its always been a pleasure🙂, but it has surely been a privilege leading Stonewall. And whatever comes next for me, in every way I can, I will continue to stand with our community, and continue to fight for a world where we are ALL free #LWithTheT