Open letter to Stonewall

The open letter below was sent to Stonewall with over 100 signatures on 17th September 2010, including representatives of numerous LGB&T organisations, asking them to support marriage equality.

Stonewall initially refused to change their position or engage with critics and even appeared to argue that marriage equality would be too expensive. However, shortly before a planned demonstration by marriage equality campaigners was due to take place outside the 2010 Stonewall Awards, Stonewall announced that they would campaign for same-sex marriage.

Dear Stonewall,

We are writing to ask you to end your silence and openly support full marriage equality.

A recent PinkNews survey found overwhelming support (98%) for full marriage equality. Other LGB&T organisations, including the LGB&T groups of the three main political parties, have also professed their support. However, Stonewall have declined to do so.

At present, there is segregation between the institution of marriage for opposite-sex couples and the institution of civil partnerships for same-sex couples. “Separate but equal” is not equal, and many couples who wish to have their relationship recognised as a marriage are denied this right (conversely, there are also opposite-sex couples who are denied the right to a civil partnership).

Although civil partnerships were a huge step forward and you are to be commended on your work to bring them about, they do not have the same status as marriage. They confer the same legal rights, but there are nonetheless still some significant differences. For example, transgender individuals must divorce their partner if they wish to obtain legal recognition of their gender change under the Gender Recognition Act. Furthermore, at present revealing one’s status as a civil partner (for instance, on forms) is tantamount to revealing one’s sexuality – often in wholly irrelevant contexts. Finally, it is demeaning to same-sex couples who have legally married in other countries that the UK does not recognise their marriage.

At present, your website contains no mention of your position on marriage equality and you have repeatedly declined to respond to questions on the subject (including an invitation from PinkNews to clarify your stance). If Britain’s largest and most influential LGB rights organisation will not even  support the principle of marriage equality, calls for marriage equality from the LGB&T community (and its allies) will be undermined.

You have a duty to the people you represent and we urge you to make your voice heard on marriage equality.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Tatchell, Human Rights Activist, Outrage! (in personal and official capacity)

Benjamin Cohen, PinkNews.co.uk (Founder) (in personal capacity)

Stephen Gilbert MP

Caroline Lucas MP

Jean Lambert MEP

Keith Taylor MEP

Christine Burns MBE, Equality and Diversity Specialist

Omar Kuddus, GayAsylum UK (Founder) (in official and personal capacity)

CN Lester, Queer Youth Alliance (Founder)

Rob McDowall, LGBT Network (Chair)

Katherine Doyle, Marriage Equality Campaigner

Tom Freeman, Marriage Equality Campaigner

Professor Celia Kitzinger, Marriage Equality Campaigner

Professor Sue Wilkinson, Marriage Equality Campaigner

Rosey Cox, Nottingham Pride 2010 Committee (Chair)

NUS LGBT Campaign

Adrian Trett, DELGA Liberal Democrat LGBT (Acting Chair)

Dave Page, DELGA Liberal Democrat LGBT (Treasurer)

Stephen Glenn, Liberal Democrat Candidate 2005 and 2010 Westminster elections for Linlithgow and East Falkirk

Don Harrison, DELGA Liberal Democrat LGBT

Darren Naylor, LGBT Labour (Student Officer) (in personal capacity)

Phelim Mac Cafferty, LGBT Greens (Chair)

Lesley Hedges, LGBT Greens (Female Co-Spokesperson)

Joseph Healey, LGBT Greens (International Officer)

Darren Johnson AM

Jenny Jones AM

Gregor Murray, Out for Independence Scottish National Party LGBT (Acting Governor)

Rev Sharon Ferguson, Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement (Chief Executive)

Martin Reynolds, formerly of Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement (Formerly Director of Communications)

George Broadhead, Pink Triangle Trust

Adam Knowles, Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (Chair)

Peggy Sherwood, Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group (President)

Aron Sterk, Manchester Liberal Jewish Community (Chair), Keshet Manchester (Co-Founder)

Rebekah Gronowski, Scottish Rainbow Covenant (Scottish LGBT Jews), DELGA Liberal Democrat LGBT

Jay Singh, Sarbat.Net, Website and Support Group for LGBT Sikhs (Moderator)

Ruth Cochrane, Love Scotland Ltd (Director)

Silvio Grasso, Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (PR & Communications)

Bernard Greaves, Leicester Lesbian and Gay Action, Lib Dems for LGBT Action

Al Herrera, Pink Singers London LGBT community choir

Lewis Rowe, Southampton Gay Community Health Service

Andrés Duque, LGF Top 100 Blogger (http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/)

Will Kohl, LGF Top 100 Blogger (http://www.back2stonewall.com/)

Zoe O’Connell, Trans Activist, Blogger (http://zoe.complicity.co.uk/blog/)

Professor Leslie J. Moran, Birkbeck College, University of London (Professor of Law, author of The Homosexual(ity) of Law and Sexuality Identity and Law)

Dr Richard Dunphy, University of Dundee (Senior Lecturer, Author of Sexual Politics)

Dr Matthew Waites, University of Glasgow (Senior Lecturer, Member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission LGB Research Network and the Journal of LGBT Youth Editorial Board)

Professor Robert Wintemute, King’s College London (Professor of Human Rights Law)

Dr Paul Baker, Lancaster University (Senior Lecturer, Associate of the Gender and Language Research Group)

Professor William J Spurlin, University of Sussex (Professor of English, Director of the Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence & Cultural Change)

Dr Hugh Stevens, University College London (Senior Lecturer, Editor of The Cambridge Companion to Gay and Lesbian Writing)

Annette Behrens, University of Bath LGBT Society (Co-Chair)

Hefin Jones, University of Bath LGBT Society (Co-Chair)

Sam Bartlett, Bath Spa LGBT (Male Representative)

Sophie Kelly, Bath Spa LGBT (Female Representative)

Hamzah Hamid, University of Bradford LGBTQ Society (Acting President)

David Pleavin, LGBrighTon (Campaigns Officer)

Andrew Kirby, Chester Pride LGBT Society (Captain)

Elizabeth Lincoln, Coventry LGBT+ Society (President)

Oliver Lee, University for the Creative Arts (LGBT Voluntary Representative)

Daniel Wilkes, Dundee University LGBT Society (President)

Carlton McGuirk, University of Hertfordshire LGBT Association and Society (President)

Felix Millne, Imperial College IQ LGBT (Events Officer)

Ed Cripps, Leeds University Union LGBT Society (Co-Chair)

Carissa Parnell, Liverpool Guild LGBT (Co-Chair)

Abi Alcock, University of Nottingham LGBT (Campaigns Officer)

Elizabeth Goddard, University of Nottingham Students’ Union (LGBT Officer)

Stuart Neyton, University of Nottingham LGBT (Campaigns Officer)

Elliot Reed, University of Nottingham LGBT (Social Secretary)

Beth Evans, University of Oxford LGBTSoc (Trans Rep), NUS LGBT Campaign (Trans Rep)

Laura White, Oxford Brookes LGBT Society (President)

Mark Whiley, University of Reading LGBT (Committee Member), DELGA Liberal Democrat LGBT

Lauren Dackombe, University of Southampton LGBT Society (Vice-President)

Stephen Lynch, University of Southampton LGBT Society (Committee Member)

Alexander Melhuish, University of Southampton Students’ Union (LGBT Students’ Co-Ordinator)

Casey Bourne, University of Winchester (LGBT Representative)

William Haakon Smith, University of York (Trans Rep)

Miguel Gomez Aliaga

Michelle Appleton

Rachel Avery

Simon Beard

Helen Beggs

Keith Blakemore-Noble

Sarah Bourke, Barrister

Anthony Braddick-Southgate

Colin Brownlow

Hann Chance Bunn

Dennis Carpenter

Finlay Chalmers

Frank Chia

Jerry Collins

Nicholas Cook

Graham Craig

Kate Davies

Rachel Edwards

Amy Fardo

Oliver Franks-Pedrick

Michael Furniss

Carlos Furtado

Helen Gilroy

Andrew Godfrey

Graham Greenwood

Claudia Haberberg

Melanie Hales, Youth Worker

Philip Hammond

Fay Harrison

Alan Holder-Twomlow

Alex Hyde

Stuart James Innes

Philip Jones

Emma Joy

Tom Katsumi

Maya Kaushik

Jason Kay

James Lewis

Melanie Rhianna Lewis

Stephen Lingwood, Unitarian Minister

Celso Fernandez Lopez, Careers Adviser, Author of Career Transitions in the Sex Industry

Synve E. T. Måge

Bryan Manley-Green

Kevin Manley-Green

Jack Marr

Michelle Martin

Scott McAusland

Melvin Nightingale

Julian Norman

Derek Northcote

Matthew Oldham

Jezz Palmer

Chris Park

Naomi Pennington

Keith Perkin

Alexander Ramsay

Lee Alexander Ramsay

John Rushworth Potter

John Sexton

Nicholas Smith

Louie Stowell

James Strachan

Shane Swift

Sam Szreter

Russ Thornley

Vince van Hoven

Raymond Wells

Neil Young

Imperial College IQ LGBT (Event’s Officer)