Stonewall: Pride Month 2022 Highlight

As part of Pride Month 2022, we’re highlighting companies, charities and organisations doing great work within the LGBTQ+ space, and today’s highlight is Stonewall.

What is Stonewall?

Stonewall is an organisation that stands for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people everywhere. The work of the charity has helped bring the issue of LGBTQ rights to the mainstream political agenda, changing both attitudes and policy.

When did it start?

Stonewall was founded in 1989 by a small group of people who had been active in the struggle against Section 28 of the Local Government Act. It was later granted charitable status in 2003.

What was Section 28?

Section 28 was an offensive piece of legislation designed to prevent so-called  “promotion” of homosexuality in schools; as well as stigmatising lesbian, gay and bi people, it galvanised the gay community.

What does ‘Stonewall’ mean?

The Stonewall Uprising began on June 28, 1969, when a gay club in New York City called The Stonewall Inn was raised by police leading to six days of violent clashes between the police and the gay community of Greenwich Village. The Stonewall Uprising served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the US and around the world.

What has Stonewall done?

Since 1989, Stonewall has been instrumental in LGBTQ+ rights movements:

• An equal age of consent for gay and bi men
• The end of Section 18 in Scotland, England and Wales
• Same-sex couples being free to adopt children
• LGBTQ+ people being free to serve openly in the armed forces
• Protection from discrimination at work
• The right for same-sex couples to have civil partnerships
• The right for LGBTQ+ couples to be legally recognised as parents
• The right for same-sex couples to get married
• LGBTQ+ inclusive teaching in the national curriculum