Backlash grows against Stonewall’s demand employers drop “mother”

Stonewall’s latest advice to organisations to not use the term ‘mother’ has provoked a bitter backlash today, with a growing number of critics and activists calling for an inquiry into how the charity has had such influence over Whitehall.

The furore follows a report in the Telegraph which revealed that Stonewall has advised organisations to replace the term mother with “parent who has given birth” to help boost their ranking on an equality leaderboard, which hundreds of organisations were hoping to get on as part of their attempts to show they are forward-looking places to work. Journalist Andrew Pierce has called the advice a “death wish” for Stonewall and a sign of “insanity”.

The controversial LGBT charity, named after the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City’s Greenwich Village, advised employers seeking to gain a place on their Workplace Equality Index to remove all gendered language. The charity also stated they must allow all those who self-identify as female to use female toilets and changing rooms.

The list was sought-after, bringing in 500 applications in the last year. Ranking in fifth place on this list, The Ministry of Justice has revealed that its own HR policies have been updated in the last few years to include non-gendered language with the term ‘mother’ and ‘father’ removed from some internal documents. The Welsh Government, placing ninth on the list, deleted the term ‘mother’ from its maternity policy in 2019, while the term ‘father’ still appears once. They also seem to be an enthusiastic adapter of Stonewall’s guidance, referencing their use of the word “chestfeeding” and news of their updated pronoun policy in their application to the list.

The Home Office, the Department for International Trade and MI6 also feature on this list. But, it is reported that the British Army and DfIT still use “gendered language” in their policies. Those employers who reach the coveted Top 100 spot are then able to use the ‘Top 100 Employers logo’ to advertise their achievement.

Earlier this week Lizz Truss, Equalities Minister, announced the government will quit a diversity scheme run by Stonewall amid a row over trans rights. Truss is said to be encouraging departments to follow the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Acas in dropping the Diversity Champions scheme over concerns that it does not provide value for money.

Membership to the scheme starts at £2,500 which according to the charity’s website provides employers with access to expert advice and resources on how to make their workplace inclusive. Stonewall claims there are over 850 organisations, including 250 government departments, local councils and NHS trusts, signed up as ‘diversity champions’.