BBC staff ‘fear to question’ Stonewall links

‘Senior people within the BBC, outside the BBC, are frightened of speaking about this issue’

THE BBC has been criticised by one of its own investigative reporters over its links to the Stonewall charity, amid claims that staff are too “frightened” to speak out on gender issues.

Stephen Nolan, a BBC journalist, has spoken out, saying “there is a fear factor” among colleagues who disagree with its alignment with the LGBT charity.

In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the journalist, who has uncovered the extent of the working relationship between the broadcaster and the organisation on his Nolan Investigates podcast, said that Stonewall – which runs a controversial diversity scheme in which members pay at least £2,500-a-year for guidance on pronouns and gender-neutral facilities – had “significant influence” and it was a “very, very good” lobby group.

“The question here is how much should the organisations who are being lobbied be standing back, and be thinking about groups other than Stonewall who may have opposing views?

“At the heart of this podcast is the reality that gender identity is a contested issue and the reason why we’ve done this is because there is a fear factor for many, many people.

“We’ve received communication from senior people within the BBC, outside the BBC, who are frightened of speaking about this issue.

“Now, as soon as we know that, the BBC needs to get right into that territory, at least to facilitate safe debate.”

Two Stonewall schemes have come under scrutiny in recent months. The Diversity Champions programme, for a fee, advises employers on diversity and inclusion. The Workplace Equality Index is a public ranking of organisations, which is scored by Stonewall, and does not require a fee to enter.

A Stonewall spokesman said: “Our work with employers focuses on helping to build an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace and in no way affects their impartiality.”

A BBC spokesman said: “We do not take legal advice from Stonewall and we do not subscribe to Stonewall’s campaigning. The charity simply provides advice that we are able to consider.”