Very disappointing response from macmillan - they are still under the spell of Stonewall:
"Thank you for your email of 16th June expressing concerns about Macmillan’s affiliations with regards to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. First of all, I apologise for the lateness of this response, we’re currently receiving unprecedented volumes of enquiries and this has caused delays getting back to our supporters.
We know that people face health inequalities (especially around cancer care) due to their sex, gender identity and sexual attraction, and we strive to ensure that we are doing everything we can to support everyone living with cancer. Macmillan is a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme; which is an important support tool within our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy as it enables us to understand the barriers that LGBTQ+ people face in the workplace and the community. However, we will use the support and advice that is right for our organisation as the programme allows us to do. At present we don’t have any formal relationship with Gendered Intelligence or Mermaids, but we have used Gendered Intelligence previously and don’t rule out the possibility of using these organisations in the future.
Our sole aim at Macmillan is to ensure everyone living with cancer receives the support which is right for them. Stonewall’s advice on legislative practice is in line with The Equality Act 2010, which has always said that individuals do not need to have any medical treatment to be protected under the legislation; Stonewall’s statement can be found here. We also recognise that words like mother and women etc are important to people and we don’t stop people from using them if that’s how they identify.
Stonewall advice gives LGBTQ+ individuals an alternative way to identify which is right for them. We recognise that not everyone identifies with gendered language and by providing gender neutral policies and cancer information, we are allowing everyone to access the information which is appropriate for them. For example, we use gender neutral language in our cervical cancer information so that anyone who is concerned about cervical cancer or has had a diagnosis feels like we are able to provide support to them – moving towards our goal of supporting everyone who is living with cancer.
This is in line with our wider organisational commitment to make our Macmillan more representative of society and accessible to all. We value and record all feedback and use this to help us continuously drive through developments and improvements within our organisation. I hope my email has helped explain why we our continued membership of Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme helps us in supporting the trans community and will ultimately help us guarantee we’re there to help everyone find their best way through from the moment of diagnosis, so they can live life as fully as they can.
I trust you feel you can hold Macmillan Cancer Support and the services we provide for those living with cancer in high regard, if I can be of any further help, please email me on [email protected]"