Atkins accused of hypocrisy over Stonewall
Meeting with LGBT charity emerges after she criticised Humza Yousaf over puberty blockers
‘The role played by Stonewall in this utterly shameful situation is unequivocal’
VICTORIA ATKINS, the Health Secretary, risks accusations of hypocrisy for meeting Stonewall in the past despite criticising the charity over its role in the puberty blockers scandal, it has been suggested.
The Health Secretary met the LGBT rights charity in 2018, when she was equalities minister – and her team met them four times. But earlier this week, she criticised the charity, saying those who refused to follow all the recommendations of the Cass review into trans medicine were “following Stonewall”.
She tweeted: “Humza Yousaf only wants some of the Cass Review’s recommendations implemented: which ones?
“Rather than follow the detailed and damning evidence the review cites, he’s following Stonewall. The same Stonewall that wanted to “shred” the evidence in 2018.”
The Cass review found that there was little evidence in favour of the use of puberty blockers in the treatment of children questioning their gender.
Stonewall was a keen supporter of the use of the drugs on young people who want to change gender, and even told schools to shred a research pack from another charity pointing out the risks of using puberty blockers.
However, The Telegraph can disclose that Ms Atkins previously cited Stonewall’s research in the Commons and said she was working “closely” with them when she was a minister in the Home Office.
Her team also held a meeting with Mermaids, a charity accused of pushing puberty blockers on children.
She said: “We are pleased to support a number of community projects focused on tackling LGBT+ hate crimes, including working with Barnardo’s, Stop Hate UK and the football initiative Kick It Out. We continue to take that and other work forward, working closely with the Government Equalities Office and a range of stakeholders, including Galop and Stonewall.”
The minister also previously referred to Stonewall research when discussing the prevalence of homophobia.
She referenced two MPS who had quoted stark statistics “including the terrible one highlighted in the Stonewall research that showed one in 10 people surveyed had experienced online homophobic, biphobic or transphobic abuse or behaviour in the past month”.
Kate Coleman, of the campaign group Keep Prisons Single Sex, said: “I would say that those who are attacking Stonewall now, whilst not examining their prior relationship with them, risk the charge of hypocrisy.”
She added: “However, transparency and accountability must include critical examination of the role played by previous government inquiries, departments, ministers and MPS and must extend to all sectors where gender identity ideology has become embedded.
“The role played by Stonewall in this utterly shameful and frankly catastrophic situation is unequivocal.”
A spokesman for Ms Atkins said: “It is routine for government ministers to have introductory meetings with organisations related to their new departmental brief.”