An earlier version of this article suggested that the Green party has left the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme. We are happy to make clear that this is not the case.
Not one major UK government department is still signed up to Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme. At long last, Stonewall’s toxic influence on free speech, equality law and government policy is coming to an end.
But the final nail in the coffin will be the exit of the Green party – which several senior members have been pushing for some time. Party insiders were recently given hope that the Greens had left the Diversity Champions scheme after the party’s membership appeared to lapse for a significant portion of last year. A Green party spokesperson has since confirmed to The Spectator that an invoicing error caused a delay in payment which led to the mix up, but this has now been resolved. For now, the party remains committed to the scheme.
But not all Greens are happy about it. Shahrar Ali recently won his legal case against the Green party for dismissing him as a spokesperson following allegations of transphobia against him. He announced on X that some Greens cite ‘lack of value for money, risk of Green party policy bias and overall consideration of reputational risk’ as reasons for wanting to exit the Stonewall scheme.
It’s hard to fault their analysis. Bearing in mind that the Green party is already as far down the trans rabbit hole as it is possible to go, they really don’t need to pay to be indoctrinated into gender ideology by outsiders – they can do it perfectly well themselves. But if the Greens do jump ship, it’ll spell more trouble for Stonewall.
Stonewall’s latest accounts show a significant drop in income, due at least in part to the mass exodus of almost every government department from its Diversity Champions programme which sells training and guidance on how to be an ‘inclusive employer’. (Stonewall says that these governmental changes stem from 2022, that it continues to work with government departments, and it is ‘proud to support hundreds of public bodies, arms-length bodies and organisations who are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace for all their LGBTQ+ staff, through a range of programming including the Diversity Champions programme.’ Stonewall claims that its revenue drop has been caused by the pandemic and the UK’s economic slump.) At its height, more than 950 organisations were signed up as diversity champions, paying sizeable amounts to be trained in the correct pronoun usage for ‘demisexuals’ on Tuesdays.
Through the scheme, Stonewall has exerted undue influence over government departments, charities and large employers. These organisations have been paying to be lobbied about all things trans, then tested and graded on their compliance with ‘Stonewall Law’. This lucrative grift appears to be coming to an end. In recent years, the BBC, Channel 4, Ofsted, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have all parted company with the charity. The reasons cited are that it no longer offers ‘value for money’ during lean times, and has been accused of misinterpreting the Equality Act in its guidance claiming, for example, that ‘gender identity’ is a protected characteristic. The Diversity Champions scheme has also been used to push employers towards adopting policies like allowing trans identified men to access women-only spaces.
Even Stonewall itself has been quietly watering down its definition of transphobia. Whereas the ‘transphobe’ label used to apply to anyone denying or refusing to accept someone’s gender identity, it is now more ambiguous, applying only to someone who has ‘prejudice or negative attitudes’ towards trans people.
It was Ruth Hunt, the former Stonewall CEO, who was responsible for adding the T to the LGB. In 2019, she claimed that children not given access to puberty blockers were more likely to attempt suicide, and that puberty blockers could have all kinds of positive effects. In an interview last year, Hunt blamed the ‘experts’ she had listened to on the transitioning of children: ‘I trusted the experts… I think we all did. I think that is something we regret’. But Stonewall had long painted themselves as the experts on all things trans. Under Hunt’s leadership, Stonewall attempted to suppress early warnings to schools about the potential harm in giving children puberty blockers, even offering to help teachers ‘create trans inclusive schools’ (for a fee, of course).
As if that is not bad enough, Hunt always denied the existence of any clash between transgender rights and women’s rights.
Even the most extreme trans activists recognise that Stonewall has lost its power and influence. But there must also be accountability. During its dreadful reign, the damage Stonewall has done to lesbians, gay men, and children has been immeasurable.
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