Policy makers from dozens of countries were due to attend the three-day Safe To Be Me conference in June, a key Conservative campaign promise to promote LGBT rights. It was the first event of its kind, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the London Pride. But the summit came to a halt this week when Stonewall, who was being paid to co-chair the conference’s external body, walked out in protest of Boris Johnson’s turn to exclude trans people from the ban on conversion therapy. No. 10 intervened to formally leave the event on Tuesday, as about 100 other activist groups came out in support of the Stonewall boycott, following the resignation of LGBT government adviser Iain Anderson himself, who is Stonewall’s ambassador. The top role of the trans lobby group in the conference raised its eyebrows, months after the departments of the government left the controversial diversity education program and in the middle of its failed attempt to remove from the EHRC, the guardian of equality, its special status UN. The Telegraph can now reveal that some 6 650,000 of public money had already been spent on the summit before it was removed, mainly to a proposed venue and advertising, as families face a cost-of-living crisis with the tax burden in the high 70s.
“Send the bill to Stonewall”
The saga is a major embarrassment for ministers, with lawmakers proposing to “send the bill to Stonewall” and urging the “dominant” group “not to get further involved in Whitehall”. This newspaper also learned that the Cabinet Office signed 5 5 million in February 2022 for the Government Equality Bureau to hold the conference. Official documents seen by The Telegraph show that the total “required” budget for “Safe To Be Me” was, 8.1 million, with the remaining 1 3.1 million expected to be approved in due course. The actual cost is likely to be more than 6 650,000, as this does not include the salaries of at least eighteen civil servants who spent two years planning the event and ministers’s trips abroad to attract representatives and sponsors. Sir John Hayes, a senior Tory lawmaker and former cabinet minister, told The Telegraph: “If money has gone to groups like Stonewall, maybe we can ask them to send us an account, as it’s taxpayer money. “Stonewall’s involvement in such a thing was sure to lead to problems. In the end it created the dilemma that they did not want to get involved but on the other hand without their participation, without a conference. “The conference would clearly be a front, given that Stonewall was so strongly involved in shaping it. It is good that the government has fired it from its conversion therapy policy. we do not want any of these people to hold conferences for taxpayers. “Stonewall really does not need to be further involved in Whitehall.”
“These activists are blackmailing the government”
Nicholas Williams, director of the Fair Play For Women group, added: “These activist groups are blackmailing the government, holding the government for ransom. The Stonewalls are the leaders. “These LGBT charities cut their noses to abuse their faces – all the other things that could have been achieved for gay rights with this conference are gone because they threw their toys out of the pram for just one. Gays and lesbians have lost. “It shows Stonewall what it is – they had the power to demand that the government make its offer to them.” The protest, which collapsed at the conference, followed a double turn by Boris Johnson last week, first to lift the entire ban on conversion therapy and then to proceed but block trans, following repeated long delays in consultations on the issue. The allies of Liz Truss, the Minister for Women and Equality, who was in charge of the conference, seem to be outraged that she has been “blinded” in both cases. Some clinicians have expressed concern that if trans is included, it could punish specialists who discourage children with sex discomfort from an early transition pathway, such as the use of irreversible cross-sex hormones and inhibitors of adolescence. This sparked protests by Stonewall, who was co-chair of the Coalition for Equal Rights and therefore responsible, with the Kaleidoscope Trust, for inviting global civil society groups. This departure left things unbearable for the organizers. Mr Anderson, the resigned LGBT adviser, described the overthrow of the government as “deeply damaging” and called for “tolerance and respect for our national dialogue”. He added that he was resigning from his role “with a heavy heart” and accused No. 10 of waging an “awakening war”. When announcing the consultation on the ban on conversion therapy, the government had said it would cover individuals in terms of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Officials plan to try to recover part of the 50 650,000 lost, but it is understood that most will not be returned.
“Shame that No. 10 chooses to protect some LGBTQIA + and not others”
A Stonewall spokesman said: “More than 200 LGBTQ + and HIV organizations have left the Safe To Be Me conference after the Prime Minister’s promise of a change of heart was broken. “The withdrawal shows the depth of emotion and unity within the LGBTQ + sector about the decision to continue to allow trans people to be subject to these harmful practices. “Transgender people are almost twice as likely to be targeted by conversion practices and it is a shame that the UK government chooses to protect some LGBTQIA + individuals and not others from this abusive practice.” A government spokesman said: “It is disappointing to see partners withdraw from an international conference focusing on the fundamental human rights issues facing LGBT people around the world and therefore it will not be possible to move forward with ‘Safe To Be’. Me ». congress. “We remain committed to strengthening the rights and freedoms of LGBT people and will continue to support human rights defenders worldwide and to influence and support countries on the path to decriminalization. “The UK will continue to work extensively with our international partners and will continue to use our position on the world stage to push for global change for LGBT people.”
