Department for Education leaves Stonewall

‘The government is quite capable of imposing contradictory legal duties on universities and enjoying the chaos it will cause-’

So a moral panic, then? Oh right.

Yeah, when you start calling rapists being given incarcerated women as part of their their sentence, or decimating female sport, 'human rights', you're pretty much guaranteed a teensy weensy bit of public pushback.

Tedious.

The government is quite capable of imposing contradictory legal duties on universities and enjoying the chaos it will cause- especially when they can rely on a group like many on here who are so obsessed with a comparatively small group that they are prepared to fight this extremely right wing government's culture wars for them- often in a bizarre coalition with Murdoch, the Koch brothers et al who want to take away women's rights to employment, equality legislation and contraception and abortion

That's nothing to do with stonewall; I'm not clear on what they did in the DFE.

That's Law.

‘Horrifying how many posters on here can't or won't see how this is an opportunity to smash all equality legislation by an extremely right wing government using the trans issue - like several on here- as a way of progressing their extreme right culture war.’

It has no effect on equality legislation at all. The Equality Act is the legal instrument that would (rightly) prevent a university from refusing access to a trans person. It would also govern their response if one student (for example) directed transphobic abuse at another student. Therefore, since a clear legal instrument exists, any other initiatives are either supra-legal or actually risk the university straying into illegality in their responses to legitimate articulations of dissent from the preferred views of the transgender activist community.

Bullshit.

The EA is in every school safeguarding policy.

Racism is reported to LA as they keep records.

Fgm is instant police action.

Bullying on basis of EA characteristics are part of safeguarding for staff and for children.

Just because you ID as 'antifascist', doesn't mean you are. Usually people who say they are one thing, actually turn out to be the complete opposite.

We have to move away from living in clown land, and back to reality.

However much that hurts males.

antifascist

Panto season is not yet upon us, is it?

we do not feel it provides value for money for the service it provides and we shared concerns across government about the charity's stance on free speech"

Makes those massive banners in Regent Street look not just OTT, but positively menacing.

Who would feel comfortable challenging such a public display? Was stonewall actually involved?

I'm assuming a counter display of AHF will be as acceptable?? Otherwise it's discriminatory, surely? Look forward to seeing it.

"‘Free speech’ does not include racist or homophobic or transphobic abuse. Nobody is suggesting it should."

Oh yes they are.

Horrifying how many posters on here can't or won't see how this is an opportunity to smash all equality legislation by an extremely right wing government using the trans issue - like several on here- as a way of progressing their extreme right culture war

How much money do universities actually spend on DEI that could be funding teaching or vital support services for students? Does anyone know?

I can't actually type how i feel about this.

This is such excellent news.

Im fuming at how much money they spent. When im scraping the barrel to fund my department. And using my own money.

Thank you!

This is an example of the sort of pushback Donelan’s letter is getting from academics on Twitter, and it’s hard to overstate how wrong it is:

’Minister, if gender and race equality initiatives are threats to your free speech, I think I know what it is that you want to say. And that type of speech is not consistent with a democratic society.’

‘Free speech’ does not include racist or homophobic or transphobic abuse. Nobody is suggesting it should. But initiatives that specifically suppress speech - drawing up rules about things people are allowed to say, or that have the overall effect of reducing the range of things people feel they are allowed to say - don’t just influence what is said at that abusive level. They influence what is said at the level of anything people feel might lead to a backlash against them. That prevents people speaking the truth. Sometimes the truth is unpopular and people have to speak it anyway. Sometimes - and I think this is what Donelan is navigating - the truth isn’t particularly unpopular. It’s just unfashionable. And what these initiatives do is elevate the fashionable to the status of the unquestionable. That gives some people more power than other people. That is unequivocally bad.

Global Butterflies are worse, if that's humanly possible. Google them and BBC to find recent articles about their BBC training.

I'm cautious until I see this confirmed in the news.

👏Thank you

Interesting. The local LGBTQ+++++++++ rep visited my kids' school recently, presenting a wonderful display of all the different rainbow++ flags with sweet colourful little labels that kids could play some inane games with. Schools should not be allowed to manipulate children with the ideology du jour, it's unethical IMO.

I've just searched quite extensively, and I can't find anything at all other than the sex matters twitter post, and this thread. Sex matters have tagged Christopher hope, but he only seems to have retweeted their post tagging him?

Looks like “Global Butterflies” was set up by someone with a background in Financial Services HR and has been a trustee for GIRES?

Just looking at the twatter thread by Sex Matters as posted above…
In the comments - re replacing Stonewall with “Global Butterflies”, with suggestions that following the money leads back to SW.
Anyone heard of or followed the rabbit warren of the butterflies to see if it is just a reincarnation?

Has this news been officially reported anywhere? I just Googled (well, used Ecosia) "Stonewall department for education" and the nearest match was The Times from last week saying that a different government dept (DWP) had quit the SW Diversity Champions scheme.

Hahahahaha!
Just in time for my gov meeting tomorrow....

"we do not feel it provides value for money for the service it provides and we shared concerns across government about the charity's stance on free speech"

Well well well.

Thanks @FemaleAndLearning