Mick Hartley

Yes, Stonewall is out, but it'll take a while to get rid of their lingering influence. From the Times:

Every major government department has left a diversity scheme run by the charity Stonewall after a string of controversies over gender ideology, The Times has learnt.

The exodus from Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme (DCP) came after concerns about the level of influence the lobby group had on shaping Whitehall’s internal policies.

Some of the biggest government departments, including the Home Office and Treasury, were among hundreds of public institutions and private companies who paid into the scheme. Stonewall describes it as the “gold standard for LGBTQ+ inclusion”, but it attracted criticism for promoting “gender identity” over biological sex, and was accused of favouring trans rights at the expense of women’s rights.

Well yes. The trans piggy-backed on all the goodwill from Stonewall's involvement in the Gay Rights movement, with organisations being fooled into thinking this was the next big liberation thing – instead of a regressive misogynist and homophobic scam.

More than 15 ministerial departments contacted by The Times this week confirmed they were no longer part of the scheme. The initiative still attracts major businesses, local government organisations and universities.

Last week Eleanor Frances, a civil servant who raised concerns about the promotion of transgender ideology, won a significant settlement after claiming the civil service’s approach to those issues and single-sex spaces was unlawful. Frances warned that, despite the civil service’s commitment to impartiality, transgender ideology had become entrenched to the extent that it did not feel possible to express gender-critical beliefs even though it was a view “worthy of respect”….

The Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office confirmed they let membership expire, and DCMS, Frances’s former employer, left in 2022.

However, Frances warned: “Leaving these schemes is not enough to undo their lasting influence. If organisations have incorporated biased or unlawful practices into their policies and strategies, then these will continue until they are actively halted.”

Maya Forstater, chief executive of the charity Sex Matters, said: “It’s fantastic news that the majority of government departments have stopped wasting public money on Stonewall’s scheme, but it’s just the first step. Gender identity ideology is now deeply entrenched in the UK civil service.

“In every department it worked with, Stonewall’s legacy is likely to be a raft of ideological policies, staff networks and programmes.

“Even if Stonewall’s consultants are no longer involved, activist staff networks continue their work across government and many are funded by taxpayers to do this activism in their working hours.

See here for more on Eleanor Frances.