By: Aparna Sreevalsan
BBC JOURNALIST Stephen Nolan and his team have asked a series of questions about Stonewall – the charity that advises many public bodies and organisations about LGBTQ+ policy and implementation – in a new 10-part podcast series. Called Nolan Investigates Stonewall, it looks at the role the charity has in shaping debate and public policy around gender and sexuality.
Stonewall has recently come under fire for the way it is handling issues around transsexuality and has been accused of trying to stifle opposition and dissent. It strongly resists criticism, saying it is defending the rights of all to be treated fairly.
Nolan says he developed the series outside the BBC because Stonewall has a number of contracts with public bodies and corporations- with one of them being the BBC itself – therefore making it difficult for independent scrutiny within the corporation itself. He also claims that some within the BBC are frightened of speaking out and that an honest and frank discussion about these subjects is not taking place.
For its part, Stonewall has declined to engage with Nolan Investigates but did tell the Daily Mail: “Supporting LBTQ+ people in the workplace should not be seen as a political or controversial act”.
BBC
‘Diversity Champions’ and ‘The Workplace Equality Index’ are two schemes operated by Stonewall which have been scrutinised lately. ‘Diversity Champions’ was set up in 2001 and advises employers on promoting gender inclusion and is provided for a fee. The programme has been criticised for its advice to the Scottish Government to not use the word ‘mother’ from its’ maternity leave policy guidance since it is a ‘gendered’ term. The Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie defended Stonewall through his tweet: “If the campaign to destroy Stonewall is successful, don’t kid yourself it will end there. This will eventually threaten every organisation, community group, and campaign which has struggled for decades to achieve LGBTQ+ human rights.”
Certain high profile organisations have already left the Diversity Champions scheme due to the growing controversy of Stonewall’s influence on public policy. Among them are Channel 4, Ofsted, the Cabinet Office, and the UK’s equality watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Stonewall Inn
Nolan attained the information regarding the issue through FOI (Freedom of Information) request. Much of the furore is centred around definitions of gender and whether people who have been men (and through puberty) and transition to women or vice-versa have the right (in law) to define themselves and be conferred with access to services and public spaces designated by gender– for example, health treatments and changing rooms and toilet facilities. Stonewall believes under the Equality Act people have the right to define themselves and organisations cannot dispute this. The charity’s fiercest critics, on the other hand, claim that gender is biologically determined. Legal arguments continue over the scope of the Equality Act in regard to trans rights.
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