UCL have left Stonewall

[Fenlandia]

via the excellent Alice Sullivan on Twitter: twitter.com/ProfAliceS/status/1471535974777864195

The full statement:
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/dec/ucl-and-stonewall-diversity-champions-programme-and-workplace-equality-index

This line in the statement made me cheer:
"UCL’s senior leadership team has accepted Academic Board’s advice about the fundamental need to uphold academic freedom and freedom of speech in an academic context, recognising that a formal institutional commitment to Stonewall may have the effect of inhibiting academic work and discussion within UCL about sex and gender identity."

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

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.

Trending on Twitter at the mo.

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!

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.

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?

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.