Department for Education leaves Stonewall

[yourhairiswinterfire]

Breaking: DFE has left Stonewall

"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"

twitter.com/SexMattersOrg/status/1541474620712407040

@GCAcademic I can't do Twitter links but look up jim_dickinson from wonkhe. He has a screenshot of the letter

All the EDI people are going off on one.

Here

They’re calling it a naked threat. But the bit I don’t understand is, if these initiatives don’t threaten free speech (making universities vulnerable to liability) the letter is very clear that they’re not an issue. So it can only really be that they want to keep them and break the law?

Thank you. The letter doesn’t go far enough, imo.

Of course they are. They make a very nice living doing bugger all else other than some meaningless corporate virtue-signalling.

I think the reference to capital funding on the second page is probably a veiled threat though. An OfS letter with more specifics will probably follow.

💪

Well good. They need to follow the law and guarantee free speech, and if EDI employees or anyone else is stopping that happening, they need to be held accountable.

Here for Universities details:
https://wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/michelle-donelan-fires-a-big-new-shot-at-the-sector-in-the-culture-wars/

They make a very nice living doing bugger all else other than some meaningless corporate virtue-signalling.

Yup. There's a ton of this in education. Time it stopped. Bring it in-house and get it properly lawyered - much safer. Plus we'd be able to see it! No "commercial sensitivity" BS etc

There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth on Twitter this evening. By morning we'll be to blame for EVERY mad angry cry.

Good!! Slowly but surely

Excellent news!

There’s a lot of ‘let that sink in’ and putting ‘freedom of speech’ in inverted commas going on.

To be clear, I don’t think freedom of speech entails hate speech or gross misconduct, but anything that doesn’t meet those with bars is perfectly legitimate and it’s vital that it is permissible in higher education for people to exercise their rights to speak controversially.

we shared concerns across government about the charity's stance on free speech

Excellent.

🎉

Brilliant! That is a strong message!

About bloody time.

What's Bridget Phillipson saying?

🎉🍾🎇🤭😏
That's it 🤣

Stephen Nolan has done some investigation into Stonewall.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p09yjmph

Nothing on Twitter from BP.

Very happy about this news.

That's brilliant news. This is the department for education, telling educators that they have concerns over Stonewall's attitude to free speech.

What self respecting educator would now align themselves with Stonewall?

This is where it needs to be done, in schools and universities, and the government is doing it. At last.

And yes, as a previous post it says, parents can now challenge schools specifically on this basis.

This is something I have wondered recently. Surely by now the Charity Commission are investigating a complaint that Stonewall is actively working against the interests of the LG part of the LGBTQ+? Or do I need to be the one making the complaint?

Surely they should be disbanded or forced to drop claims that they represent the LG?