SNP ministers will not cut ties with Stonewall after trans ruling
SNP ministers have refused to cut ties with the charity Stonewall after the Supreme Court's transgender ruling.
Stonewall has claimed that last month's judgment from the UK's highest court – that a trans woman is not legally a woman – is 'not law as yet'.
The charity runs a scheme that encourages access for trans women to female spaces.
However, Stonewall has suggested that members of its scheme should wait for statutory guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) before making any changes to policies, a position also adopted by the Scottish Government, the losing party in the ruling.
Their position flies in the face of warnings that members of Stonewall's workplace inclusion scheme are potentially breaking the law if trans women are allowed into female facilities.
Akua Reindorf KC, an EHRC commissioner, has clarified that the 88-page ruling 'is the law' and has 'immediate effect'.
Tess White, the equalities spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said: 'It is shocking that SNP ministers remain in thrall to this organisation who are peddling misinformation about a ruling from the highest court in the land.'
The Scottish Government said it remains 'committed' to supporting LGBTQI+ people, which includes funding Stonewall 'to advance equality for this group'.
The charity has been paid about £400,000 of public money since 2022 to run a workplace inclusion programme in Scotland that champions diversity.
It has previously pushed companies to adopt gender-neutral language, encouraging organisations to use the term 'parent who has given birth' in place of 'mother' on forms to boost their ranking on its index of employers.
'Manifestly not lawful'
For Women Scotland (FWS), the feminist campaign group that raised the legal challenge against the Scottish Government's support for gender self-identification, said it hoped that, going forward, 'we might be able to work more productively with the Scottish Government'.
Susan Smith, from FWS, said: 'Stonewall's workplace programme encourages businesses and public bodies to adopt policies which are manifestly not lawful.
'These need to be rooted out, not further cemented – unless, of course, the government is looking to be taken to court again.
'We would urge John Swinney to undertake a review of funding directed to Stonewall and other organisations which have spread misinformation about the ruling.
'Public money should never line the pockets of those seeking to undermine equality law and women's human rights.'
Stonewall said it adhered to the Equality Act and EHRC statutory guidance, adding: 'We, along with many others, are highlighting the importance of considering [the ruling's] implications.
'The EHRC has announced a consultation, and there will then be a parliamentary process before any updated statutory guidance is published.'
The charity added that its workplace inclusion programmes, which have been running for more than 20 years, were the 'gold standard for employers that want to embed equality for LGBTQ+ people in the workplace'.
However, government departments in Whitehall, including the Home Office and Treasury, have left the scheme after a string of controversies over gender ideology.
North of the border, several organisations, including the BBC, the Scottish Parliament and Police Scotland, have also withdrawn from Stonewall's diversity champions membership scheme.
Ms White said various organisations had 'shown common sense' by withdrawing from Stonewall's programme in recent years, adding that the Scottish Government should cut ties with the charity 'rather than strengthening' them.
'Scots will be questioning why SNP ministers are still so wedded to supporting this organisation which has been mired in controversy and is disconnected from the views of mainstream Scotland on the SNP's obsession with gender self-ID.'
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: 'The first minister has been clear that the Scottish Government accepts the judgment of the Supreme Court.
'We are committed to supporting LGBTQI+ people, including through funding for Stonewall to advance equality for this group. This is particularly important when we are seeing a rise in attacks against the LGBTQI+ community.'
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