LGBTQ+ rights have come a long way in the last 35 years – but the work is far from done

Thirty-five years ago, the founders of Stonewall came together to protest and ultimately ensure the repeal of the pernicious Section 28. I remember when I first heard that Stonewall had been founded. I was 15 and knowing Stonewall existed provided me with much-needed hope.

As the new CEO of this long-standing LGBTQ+ charity I am proud of the difference Stonewall has made for us as LGBTQ+ people, our families and friends. The breadth and depth of impact on LGBTQ+ lives is unrivalled.

The long march to equality has never been linear. Progress has never been achieved by Stonewall alone or with a single set of advocacy or campaigning tools.   

It is easy for us to forget – or perhaps for many to have never known or experienced – the fiercely homophobic political context in which Section 28 became law. Section 28 was the first overtly homophobic legislation since the 1885 amendment criminalising homosexuality. It led to Stonewall being founded.

In 1989, Pride in London was 17 years old. There were important campaign groups such as the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE), the Organisation for Lesbian and Gay Action (OLGA) and the Gay Liberation Front, who had been using direct action such as protests and civil disobedience to increase visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and demand ‘gay rights’ for many years.

Protest and direct action have been a common feature across all progressive movements, from LGBTQ+ rights to climate action and the women’s suffragette movement. In the 1970s and ’80s direct action was commonplace in the LGBTQ+ movement. Like political causes that came before them, they created impact often by targeting high-profile individuals or by creating a visible disturbance.

In the 1970s, US direct action group LIPS participated in civil disobedience, focusing on increased visibility for the LGBTQ+ community and that meant operating in spaces that there were not exclusively LGBTQ+ issues such as reproductive justice or asylum conditions. Back at home in 1971, the Gay Liberation Army (GLA) released mice during the Festival of Light, drawing attention in what they believed was the most effective way to achieve success for their cause.

Some of Stonewall’s founders were already involved in groups like these and their actions, but they believed in the importance of having a new organisation. One that would work alongside all the others. The Founders believed a professional advocacy group was needed for the sector. A group who would take a seat at the top table, have their voices heard and be actively listened to in Westminster’s corridors and on mainstream platforms.

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In 1989, Stonewall’s founding document dubbed The Second Limehouse Agreement, set out the role that its founders envisaged for Stonewall. It specifically highlights “researching issues and concerns affecting LGBTQ+ people on a professional basis” and is available to see today at the Queer Britain Museum.

As is made clear in the original text, Stonewall “wasn’t designed to be the representative of the LGBTQ+ community or be a substitute for other campaigning organisations”. It was designed to be “an executive committee to determine policy supported with a professional secretariat”. I admire their foresight. Stonewall was set up to fill a space that was not being filled. It was necessary in addition to those grassroots campaigns activating in other ways. Their vision was of a pragmatic Stonewall pursuing a set of specific advocacy aims that would achieve legislative and political change on the journey to LGBTQ+ equality.

At Stonewall’s Equality Dinner yesterday (30 October), we marked our 35th year and my sixth week as chief executive. We honoured one of our founders, Sir Ian McKellen, with a lifetime achievement award. In preparing for the dinner, I reflect back on the purpose and approach originally envisaged for Stonewall.

In a climate often characterised by fear, hostility and prejudice, Stonewall helped navigate a path that has seen so many victories for LGBTQ+ people on the way to equality including the repeal of Section 28; removing restrictions for military service; enabling same-sex couples to adopt; equalising the age of consent; equal marriage and more. Yet, despite these successes, the work is far from done and there are still more victories we must achieve together. Until we have full equality for every single person in our community we cannot and must not rest. 

We know the path to equality is never straightforward. It has always been – and will always be – two steps forward and one step back. However, in recent years, there has been little political traction in the UK and across Europe. More widely across the globe we are seeing a row-back on LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms and an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Here in the UK, there has been way too much noisy, divisive rhetoric and far too little focus on the common ground that unites us. This has led to untold damage.

I am optimistic that we now have an opportunity to reset the relationship with government, redefine and reshape the national conversation about LGBTQ+ people’s rights and consider Stonewall’s role within an ever-changing LGBTQ+ sector.

LGBTQ+ equality is our shared north star. I value enormously the fact that our communities and our allies have different views and perspectives and use a wide range of experiences, strategies and tactics in their activism for equality. We each have a unique contribution to make and that will always be determined by our individual theories of change, our politics, our funding, our lived experiences and our professional knowledge. There is not a single right way to achieve change. Every single advancement in LGBTQ+ equality has been achieved owing to a shared determination and a diversity of tactics.

It is because there have always been a wide range of approaches, tactics and strategies over the years, not despite there being a wide range, that Stonewall has fulfilled the role that its founders originally envisaged.

I am committed to focusing on achieving practical change, with thoughtful and effective policy interventions made possible through coalition, just as our founders imagined we would. So much has been achieved. And I look forward to helping to achieve so much more.

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