BBC signs up to Stonewall ‘in all but name’
Top Tory says broadcaster knows far-Left bodies hide intent as it joins course run by charity ambassador
THE BBC has been accused of subscribing to Stonewall “in all but name” as it joins a new transgender training scheme run by an ambassador of the controversial charity that celebrates its backers.
The corporation last week quit Stonewall’s embattled Diversity Champions scheme, which advises workplaces on pronouns and gender-neutral facilities, citing impartiality concerns.
It was the latest high-profile public body to exit the 850-member programme, after disquiet that employers pay £2,500 a year or more to be lobbied to open women-only spaces to males and drop words such as “mother”.
But amid a revolt from LGBT staff over the move, the Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, has now promised to begin an alternative partnership with a group called Involve UK.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that Involve UK is founded and run by Suki Sandhu, who says online he is “proud to be a Stonewall Ambassador”. The Stonewall website says that its ambassadors are “a group of our closest supporters, giving £1,800 a year or more”.
Involve UK says it aims to “truly shift the dial when it comes to creating an inclusive and diverse business”.
One of its main functions is a list of “LGBT+ role models” for employers to learn from, which celebrates Stonewall in a glowing light 25 times.
Mr Davie told staff that “the BBC can not be impartial when reporting on public policy debates where Stonewall is taking an active, campaigning role”, which led to an angry Zoom call where the BBC’s head of news told staff to “get used” to hearing different viewpoints.
But campaigners have accused the broadcaster of subscribing to “Stonewall in all but name”, while a senior Tory MP told the BBC that it “should know” that “far-Left organisations disguise intent”.
Guidance documents by Involve UK make numerous interventions on trans debates. These include reviewing honorifics – common examples of which are Mr and Ms – and advocating for selfidentified gender, a stance shared by Stonewall, which feminists say is relegating biological sex to irrelevance and distorting statistics.
One Involve UK guide, titled “championing a trans inclusive workplace”, says: “Examine your application and recruitment processes; what honorifics are available on applications? How are job descriptions written? In your employee surveys, is there a free text option to allow people to self-identify?”
Involve UK also gives advice on “active allyship” and “active cultural advocacy”, including microaggressions, systemic racism and white privilege.
Maya Forstater, from campaign group Sex Matters, stressed that such training must reflect the Equality Act 2010, which protects biological sex by law but not gender identity.
She said: “The BBC should beware of signing up to another unaccountable scheme which might turn out to be Stonewall in all but name.”
Suki Sandhu, CEO of Involve UK, said: “Our primary focus is on advising and assisting organisations to create more inclusive [workplaces].”
A spokesman for the BBC declined to say how much the Involve UK partnership cost. He added: “The BBC is fully committed to being an industry-leading employer on LGBTQ+ [inclusion].”