UCL have left Stonewall

Stonewall is an organisation that in the not too distant past has Aimee Challenor on its trans advisory committee. From memory, something like deputy chair.

Their own internal policy making procedures are a very long way from transparent. Thereis no justification for giving them unquestioned access to public policy making.

I saw that tweet.

You know what amazes me is the assumption and brazen gumption that EVERYONE agrees with Stonewall..... They cannot possibly imagine that stonewall could be in the wrong, their mission statement and their tactics would be at odds with anyone unless they were right wing fundamentalists.

Why can't reasonable, rational people disagree with Stonewall?

I imagine it'll be helpful if alumni write letters supporting the decision, given the loud opposition. There's also a petition, though I'm not sure what it's meant to achieve. The bizarre thing is all the people claiming to speak on behalf of the gay community, given how divided it is on the issue. Actually not bizarre at all. I imagine that's a strategy, rather than an oversight.

Jo Maugham has made a pretty revealing tweet about this. He is mad that the decision to leave stonewall was made without consultation with trans people at UCL, and is now going on about how trans people are talked over, talked at but never spoken to. Really interesting how strongly he associates stonewall with trans interests, to the exclusion of the LGB. He bemoans the lack of trans input but is perfectly fine with the lack of LGB input ? How comfortable they are with the idea of stonewall being a group mainly for trans interests!

Trending on Twitter at the mo.

UCL's Provost is Dr Michael Spence. His email is first name dot surname at ucl.ac.uk

And if anyone works at UCL they might also want to copy in the Pro-Provost Equity & Inclusion (whose initials are SR).

They've probably received an onslaught of vociferous opposition so some brief messages of support might be a welcome balance.

Another alumna here. Any way for us to show appreciation?

That statement is so clear. Take note BBC, that's how you communicate a decision.

I think it is worth alumni writing to UCL to express their support for the decision. Just to reassure any doubters.

There were a lot of views from people wanting to contest the institutional decision and asking where they could write to make their support for Stonewall clear.
Too late. The EDI supported Stonewall, the Academics didn't. The 'casting vote' - the senior leadership - agreed, after "careful consideration", with the Academics.
The concluding sentence of the statement says that UCL wishes to be a "genuinely diverse community in which [all] people are able to express their beliefs" i.e. they wish to abide by the Forstater ruling.

Dappled, is there anywhere that people could write appreciating the UCL decision. Thus leaving UCL in no doubt that Stonewall, whether good or bad, is controversial and divisive, so worth keeping at arms length.

(LSE alum here, and wondering if I should write to them, asking them to take a similar step.)

Not that I wish to dampen down the joy here at all, but I work there in the admin side and just yesterday we were given a speech which I couldn't attend but could see the chat from in Teams. There were a lot of views from people wanting to contest the institutional decision and asking where they could write to make their support for Stonewall clear.

So if the request does go out where views of staff are sought in regards to this I will reach my point where I need to put my head above the parapet and be clear and reasoned. And that sounds scary. But it shouldn't.

Such a good clear statement.

UCL alumni here and I'm really pleased to hear this. We had stonewall in to give a lecture/ workshop about 6 years ago as part of my doctoral training and knew that it didn't sit right with me then.

This is brilliant news. Well done UCL

As an alumna, I'm absolutely delighted to hear this.

That's fantastic. I'd love to hear more about how that was achieved and what staff in other universities could do to push this happening elsewhere.

Fanastic - they've told the tuth with no tippy toe wittering on about value for money. Hopefully that will give other organisations heart, and be something concerned staff can show their leaders as the way forward.

Brilliant news

Fantastic.

Well done UCL 👏

Another UCL alumni here, so relieved to hear this especially because I have a DC there currently (and they do not need any more Stonewall type of encouragement).

Someone posted this on another thread. Looks like an excellent series:

blogs.ucl.ac.uk/feminism/seminar-series/

Worth remembering that the Institute of Education, arguably Britain's foremost teacher training college, is a part of UCL.

Hoist by their own bloody petard! It really does feel like the tide is turning.

I might do a little happy dance.

My Alma Mater too, and I'm so happy to hear this, and happy to think that there might be some hope for my young teens future education.