The House of Lords has announced it has withdrawn from Stonewall’s discredited Diversity Champions scheme, following objections to its promotion of gender-neutral language.
Peers reportedly lobbied Speaker Lord McFall and chief clerk Simon Burton to leave the programme after becoming aware of Stonewall advising organisations to replace the word ‘mother’ with ‘parent who has given birth’.
Last year, Peers rejected the Government’s attempt to include the term ‘pregnant person’ instead of ‘mother’ in maternity legislation. The Government eventually backed down and agreed that ‘mother’ was legally “acceptable”.
Cost-benefit analysis
A spokesperson for the House of Lords said: “As part of the wider Action on Inclusion strategy, the House of Lords has decided not to renew its membership of the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme.
“This follows an assessment of the costs and benefits of the programme.”
The spokesperson added that the House “remains passionately committed to delivering a more inclusive workplace for our LGBT+ colleagues”.
EHRC attack
It comes as Stonewall launches an attempt to remove the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) from the UN Human Rights Council.
The equalities watchdog had called on the Scottish Government to pause its plan to make changing legal sex much easier saying the proposed legislation needs “further consideration”.
Since former Stonewall chairman David Isaac stepped down as head of the EHRC in 2020, the watchdog has been distancing itself from the controversial LGBT lobby group.
In that time, the regulator has withdrawn from the Diversity Champions programme and Chair Baroness Falkner has stated there is “genuine public concern” that trans rights are conflicting with women’s rights.
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