CPS leaves Stonewall

CuriousaboutSamphire · 2021-09-13T14:08:48+00:00

Someody help me. I know I am not going mad, I just heard this on Radio2 news. CPS leaves Stnewall, the legality of its advice having been questioned. But I can't find it being reported anywhere, Google has let me down! Anyone else hear it? Anyone find confirmation elsewhere? Or - what did I mishear?

ScreamingMeMe · 14/09/2021 12:43

Ah, I hadn't heard about the National Trust thing. Interesting.

www.google.com/amp/s/news.artnet.com/art-world/uk-national-trust-chair-tim-parker-steps-down-after-report-on-ties-to-slavery-1973585/amp-page

Tibtom · 14/09/2021 09:34

@Ereshkigalangcleg

The charity sector needs a big shake up, IMO. And a regulator with teeth.

Saw an article only a day or so ago saying the government was looking for a new charity commission chief who would tackle cancel culture and get charities focusing on their core principles. (Think the reference was to the National Trust who got themselves into a mess after realising the history of many large English Estates includes links with slavery).

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/09/2021 09:03

The charity sector needs a big shake up, IMO. And a regulator with teeth.

ArabellaScott · 14/09/2021 09:01

@ScreamingBeans

I think we all need to start writing to Feedback every time the BBC ignores a big story like this

I think the BBC did mention this, I heard it on radio news at around 3pm, I think, but when I searched the website I could find no mention at all.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 14/09/2021 08:51

for your wonderful daughter, @TheBigBad. She sounds ace!

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 14/09/2021 08:40

@GreyhoundG1rl

CPS leaves Stnewall, the legality of its advice having been questioned. Fairly mind boggling statement. The Crown Prosecution Service realise it's been taking incorrect advice on the law from a lobby group, and acting on it? How the actual fuck did we get here?

^ This.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/09/2021 08:33

^ I told her about this today, and she grinned wide and nodded. Please, sexists and homophobes, enjoy the new generation of feminists who are learning to be persistent in standing up for their rights. You earned every one of them.^

This. to you and your courageous daughter.

Tibtom · 14/09/2021 08:28

If it is not reasonable to exclude someone of the opposite sex (eg a transwoman from a women's ward) then surely the alternative is a mixed sex ward? Mixed sex prison? Mixed sex refuges?

ScreamingMeMe · 14/09/2021 07:56

The EHRC said specifically in AEA v EHRC that this is not right.

It can be a proportionate means to a legitimate aim to have facilities which are single sex and which do not include people on the basis of gender identity.

No consideration of what this policy means for inclusion of women and girls, including those from faith groups.

"High barrier of proof"... this does not come from the Equality Act.

The Equality Act says circumstances where "a person of one sex might reasonably object to the presence of a person of the opposite sex".

Organisations should take care to comply with the Equality Act... all 9 protected characteristics.

Stonewall guidance does not help them do this and puts them at risk of facing discrimination and harassment claims in relation to other protected characteristics

ScreamingMeMe · 14/09/2021 07:54

"Gender Identity" and "Gender Expression" are treated as protected characteristics.

They are not.

"Best practice" monitoring is not in line with GDPR or Equality Act

Ignores sex, substitute gender identity

And more confusion and conflation of protected characteristics...

ScreamingMeMe · 14/09/2021 07:52

Thread by Sex Matters on how Stonewall encourages places to go against the law:

Any organisation considering whether they should stay in the
@stonewalluk
schemes should consider that they are not in line with the
@EHRC
employers code of practice.

Why take the risk of signing up to a scheme that is different from the law?

sex-matters.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Sex-Matters-Understanding-Stonewall-Risk-080721-FINAL.pdf

Stonewall tells employers to "acknowledge the limitations of the Equality Act (2010)"

It advises against using language based on compliance with the law saying this is "outdated" and may "cause offence"

Ignore what the law says about protected characteristics says Stonewall guidance

ScreamingMeMe · 14/09/2021 07:45

twitter.com/Obsolesence/status/1437385096642932744?s=20

"Are they remaining part of the workplace equality index with Stonewall, do you know? Like Ofcom?"

"They’ve just told me they won’t be taking part in that either."

ScreamingMeMe · 14/09/2021 07:40

Sorry, forgot twitter is difficult to read these days

NEW: The Crown Prosecution Service
@CPSUK
has told me that it has ended its membership of the Diversity Champions scheme run by the LGBT charity
@stonewalluk
It's the latest high-profile organisation to leave, following the departure of the
@EHRC
and
@Ofcom
.
@BBCNews
Earlier this year the
@CPSUK
was forced to defend its membership of the scheme after a schoolgirl brought a judicial review to the High Court, alleging that membership of Diversity Champions was causing the CPS to be biased– a review which the CPS ultimately won.
However, it has now left the scheme. A spokesperson said: “The CPS is proud to have a diverse workforce and will continue to support our LGBT+ staff members in every way possible. “We have carried out a review of Stonewall’s Diversity Scheme and have decided to ...
..end our membership. We are members of other schemes which help us respect the identities of our LGBT+ colleagues. As with other offences, we will continue to work with relevant charities to ensure we understand the concerns of different communities and the issues they face”

@stonewalluk
says: ‘As with all membership programmes, organisations come and go depending on what’s best for their inclusion journey at the time. We’re pleased that the CPS feel confident to continue the important work of supporting their LGBTQ+ staff, and we will continue...

to work with them to make sure that LGBTQ+ people are treated fairly by the courts. Contrary to some reporting, our leading Diversity Champions programme continues to grow, and we now work with more than 900 organisations to help create working environments in which all...
.. lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people can thrive.’

ScreamingMeMe · 14/09/2021 07:36

Fabulous news. Found this in twitter, I'm sure it will hit the rest of the media today.

The Equal Treatment Bench Book needs to go next.

twitter.com/JohnMcM1/status/1437353855457665024?s=20

ScreamingBeans · 14/09/2021 07:29

I think we all need to start writing to Feedback every time the BBC ignores a big story like this

grannyjacob · 14/09/2021 06:15

Well done and thank you to the wee TheBigBad.

NumberTheory · 14/09/2021 05:37

@WatchMyChops

Don’t want to derailing the thread, but I always thought that stonewalling wasn’t a good thing so I never really understood the reason why they’re Stonewall. Although their name sounds quite apt at the moment.

The association of the name Stonewall with gay rights is to do with the Stonewall Riots in New York.

WatchMyChops · 14/09/2021 00:32

Don’t want to derailing the thread, but I always thought that stonewalling wasn’t a good thing so I never really understood the reason why they’re Stonewall. Although their name sounds quite apt at the moment.

GrimDamnFanjo · 14/09/2021 00:29

I silently cheered today.
Really hoping that this heralds the public sector coming to their senses.

SpindleWhorl · 14/09/2021 00:23

@yourhairiswinterfire

It's making the Police a complete and utter laughing stock

If I saw one of those cars pull up, I'd expect to see 50 clowns climb out of it in a glitter explosion. So bloody daft

And then the doors would fall off.

Clymene · 14/09/2021 00:16

Thank your daughter from me please BigBad. She is a suffragette leader for our times.

I also heard it on the midday bulletin on R4. I'm shocked that PM didn't cover it. That is shockingly partisan of Davis. They really can't allow his blatant misogyny dictate what is supposed to be a current affairs programme

Rhannion · 14/09/2021 00:09

@TheBigBad

My daughter brought the JR challenge to the CPS after their disgraceful 'anti-bullying' guidance that suggested she would be part of a hate crime if she complained about males in the girls loos, or didn't accept a male into a friendship group if the male had a girl gender identity.

Her case was that while the CPS was receiving this erroneous guidance from Stonewall, they could not be seen to be impartial, which was an important part of their remit as an authority of the state. It was dismissed because she was deemed to have 'no standing' because while she correctly identified that the anti-bullying guidance was completely wrong, she hadn't yet been directly abused by Stonewall because of it and would only be able to once she was. Despite the fact that Stonewall's guidance had induced the CPS to put out a document which discriminated against her unfairly.

They got away with this technicality because she did, however, force the CPS' hand and they withdrew the guidance, as many other authorities have had to do with Stonewall based errors. So they covered their arse, basically.

I told her about this today, and she grinned wide and nodded. Please, sexists and homophobes, enjoy the new generation of feminists who are learning to be persistent in standing up for their rights. You earned every one of them.

✌

Well done to your fantastic, brave daughter and to yourself, you didn’t Wheest and thank you. You must be rightly so proud.

Rhannion · 14/09/2021 00:05

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Our rainbow coluored all electric police car had the rainbow peeled off it overnight last weekend

I know who it was and his sergeant would probably turn a blind eye - it was foisted upon their ruralness by some 'woke pillock from the smoke'.

That could be a very local call to arms Say No to the Woke from the Smoke!

😂👍more power to their elbow whoever they were!

Rhannion · 14/09/2021 00:00

@GreyhoundG1rl

CPS leaves Stnewall, the legality of its advice having been questioned. Fairly mind boggling statement. The Crown Prosecution Service realise it's been taking incorrect advice on the law from a lobby group, and acting on it? How the actual fuck did we get here?

It’s absolutely ridiculous, that CPS would be played like this, they should be ashamed The whole house of cards must come tumbling down, we must keep up the pressure.

Davros · 13/09/2021 22:56

Yeah, I think a lot of it began with ideas like stakeholder engagement, involving relevant communities in consultation, the people involved are the experts, etc.
It seems like women are not routinely engaged or consulted.