Stonewha?

[sebastienne]

OK, those of you who followed me during Bindelgate will know that Stonewall have been somewhat assimilationist for some time. That is to say, the UK's leading LGB rights organisation (yes, those people who get asked to comment on Every. Queer. News. Item. on the BBC website) were approaching equality from the angle of "we're just like you! except we sleep with people who have the same genitals as us!" (mention trans issues to them and their poor little heads explode.)

Only now, their CEO has come out against marriage equality at the Lib Dem conference, in a staggeringly badly-argued way which gives lie to their usual "we're just like straight people! that's why we're disowning the WEIRD QUEERS" argument.

So who the hell are Stonewall? It's beginning to appear that their aim is second-best assimilationism. "Can't you just recognise us for who we are, which is almost as good & normal as straight people?" It's hardly a revolutionary rallying cry. It's hardly who I want representing me in Every. Queer. News. Item. on the BBC website.

It's gone beyond "these guys are the "Conservative Party" of queer activism - not at all my thing but I suppose they should exist as there are Tory queers" and into actual incoherent nonsense.

Comments

[mi_guida]

(Context: I found out the firm LGBT network was mostly posh gay men; I got annoyed; I joined; I'm trying to change the world from the inside *laughs hollowly*)

I had lunch with three people from Stonewall last week. I spent the entire thing trying (and failing) to convince them (a) why our firm network has LGBT in the name and (b) that they should give a fuck about trans issues. Their response? "Trans people have different issues to gay people and we're not set up to deal with those."

I raged, politely, and repeatedly. I don't think it helped :(

[sebastienne]

I've been trying since I worked for them in 2006 - I'm starting to think that it may be a losing battle. this post suggests that they oppose gay marriage because it will cost more for private pension providers, and most of their money comes from private industry including banks... says it all, to my mind. It is time for a new Stonewall, methinks!