Get the violins out - Stonewall is "in crisis"

[IwantToRetire]

Our biggest LGBT charity is in crisis. Are we just going to let it collapse? LGBT people need armour; an organisation like Stonewall to act as a first line of defence

Stonewall, Britain’s largest LGBT organisation, is in crisis. It’s plummeting financially, with rounds of redundancies as funding cuts hit. And its credibility and influence is plunging amid a national and global backlash against LGBT rights.

This matters. If someone asked you to name the first LGBT organisation that comes to mind, I would bet my cat you’d say Stonewall. Since it was founded more than 35 years ago, the charity has become entwined in our country’s psyche, Parliament, schools, sporting and business sectors. But for how much longer?

However you feel about Stonewall, we need a conversation about the state of the biggest charity defending LGBT people. And we need to ask ourselves a question as the opponents of all kinds of human rights lie in wait: are we just going to let it die?
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To highlight one recent example of Stonewall’s seemingly waning influence, I asked the Government several times recently whether it has consulted with Stonewall over a proposed ban on conversion therapy since taking office. A spokesperson from the Cabinet Office declined to confirm whether it has even had any meetings with the charity about it, instead offering vaguely: “We will engage further with a broad range of stakeholders.” I asked Stonewall three times, but they did not provide a response.

Perhaps both sides are being coy or don’t want the public to know that they’ve met. But either way, this is as bizarre as it is concerning. Stonewall was once the charity that lobbied every MP in the country to help pass the same-sex marriage law in 2013. Now, it is unclear whether they’ve even had a meeting with the new Government over the psychological torture of LGBT people
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Should it die, many will dance on Stonewall’s grave. But then many would happily see the rights of LGBT people revoked too – thereby exposing how much a strong, influential organisation for this community is still needed.

If you think it should return to only representing lesbian, bisexual and gay people, then you’re ignoring not only the plight of trans people but also how intertwined all these rights are and how many government’s incarcerate people for laws that oppress every letter in the acronym – or pass laws like the Equality Act that protect everyone (until that is chipped away).
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Complete article at https://inews.co.uk/opinion/biggest-lgbt-charity-crisis-stonewall-3645337
Can also be read in full at https://archive.is/yGTYs

(If LGB people can set up their own Alliance, why cant trans people do the same?)

Agree

And with this

Probably putting out this story to limit exposure to being sued for all the incorrect guidance it’s been handing out left right and centre to businesses and schools.

LGB Alliance are surely more than capable of protecting gay rights. Trans people are entirely separate-always perplexed why this group was linked, they have entirely different requirements re representation

Washing its strings?

Can’t they start identifying as how they actually started when they were worthwhile??

I agree with PP about the damage they've done to multiple groups of people. It will take years to clean up the mess they have made.

There will be many people and organisations who could have left a legacy to be proud of but will now be remembered for the self ID shit show, Stonewall is one of them.

I'll leave my tiny violin in its case, if Stonewall closes down I will not GAF.

Those bananas are looking quite spotty, I'll make some banana bread with the kids after school. And that reminds me, I need to return those library books and pick up the dry cleaning.

It’s not like they weren’t warned over the last 10 years or so by previous supporters. They not only chose to ignore the warnings, they doubled down with their disgusting sexual racist comment. They have no one to blame but themselves.

If anyone would like to celebrate by making a small donation to LGB Alliance, here they are. Bev and Kate were dragged through the courts on Stonewall's behalf by Stonewall's friend, Mermaids. Many of us will remember the batshit Stonewall crew, including the support-mum and support-dog.

https://lgballiance.org.uk/donate/

There are quite a lot of LGBT people in this country, many of them quite well of them. There are even more "allies" who are desperate to go out of their way to show how much they love anything LGBT. If the leading LGBT charity isn't getting enough cash they must be doing something terribly wrong!

(Although on the allies point, I guess it's cheaper to put up a flag than to set up a long-term standing order, and the flags get you a lot more positive attention too.)

THIS in shedloads.

Oh dear. What a shame. Never mind. As part of the L in LGB, I don't want any other hangers on. They can have their own groups with pleasure.

It would be such a relief to no longer have Stonewall on the scene.... but I suspect a few generous individual donors will rescue them.

Like many, I want to see the LBG Alliance flourish and I hope that Trans can create their own organisation from the bottom up.

I was amazed they were getting £500k a year from the USA government.

And like many I will be thrilled if This affects its ability to effectively lobby politicians.

Stonewall are bullies
The community need a Charity that acts like a Charity and understands the potential fallout of their views on others.
I don’t regard Stonewall as a Charity their actions are not charitable to all.

I have my reservations about Elon Musk, but my reaction to him defunding Stonewall is... well ok, I didn't laugh quite as much as when Rory Stewart complained about Musk defunding Mrs Rory's important work explaining conceptual art to Afghan peasants.

Oh no! Quick! I will divert all my regular charitable outgoings to this instead. Let's be honest, the fragile male ego of the trans woman needs support right now.

I'm old enough to remember Stonewall with huge respect from the 1980s and I'm sorry for what they lost but it was their choice to do that. They didn't have to.

They could have stood up for lesbians' right to their own spaces. They could have stood up for childrens' rights to grow up intact, gay, bi, or straight.They could even - if they had really wanted to support transexuals and transvestites as well as people who were same-sex attracted - have put resources into providing specialist services and resolving conflicts of interest between the different groups they hoped to represent. They could have respected the 2010 Equality Act instead of subverting it.

They could have defied the whole TWAW nonsense. They didn't. Instead they profited from it.

Actually... what I really want to say is that Stonewall chose to piss their proud legacy up the wall. In respect for Victoria Smith's amazing article today I'm saying it.

"Nancy Kelly called lesbians sexual racists. That was the final nail in the coffin."

I cannot begin to explain how fucking ANGRY this made and continues to make me. That was, indeed, the day I vowed to support any independent LGB organisation, especially if it meant Stonewall would collapse.

Surprised that Gandalf hasn't lumbered in, waving his wand around...

Thank you for this great suggestion. There's a bit of a tradition building up here of targeted donations by MNers, which have made a financial impact but also an emotional one - I know Sex Matters were ..sorry I can only think of the word 'touched' which is a bit twee, but you know what I mean - by our donations to honour the work of the legal team supporting Sandie Peggie.

It's important to let the organisation know that a sudden uptick in donations isn't just random, it's from us

People have always been gay straight and everything in between, the world has gone mad thinking they invented something, my point being in the past no one cared no one needed a label, when I dressed in men's clothes age 13( I'm female and straight) I didn't need a label or social media which didn't exist then to post of Facebook look at me I'm dressed as a man coz no one cared and in the 80's most of the men I snogged wore more make up than me, again no labels no one cared, women dressed as men, men dressed as women as they have done since the beginning of time, and people have always been gay! Everyone wants a label and to post that label on social media to let the world know and then moan about how hard their life is, no one cares , everyone has their own stuff, just live your life, wear want you want shut up and be quiet,

They will be. This is probably a preemptive jump.

@Sskka I don't suppose you remember what the podcast was or could even post a link? Would love to listen...

Not only did they charge companies for their misinformation, in my opinion, they are at least in part responsible for creating a backlash to gay rights - which were accepted and championed by pretty much everyone before they stirred up the pot. They deserve to disappear into oblivion. Nobody will ever respect them again.

Stonewall in 2022:

"Research suggests that children as young as 2 recognise their trans identity. Yet, many nurseries and schools teach a binary understanding of pre-assigned gender."

https://x.com/stonewalluk/status/1550427949819695104

Nobody sane should have been throwing money at this bunch of clowns.

Whichever. Anyhow, it's going to take ages....