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1988 Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Cashman of Stonewall.

Stonewall is a gay rights campaign organisation in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1989 by Labour Party activists who had been lobbying against section 28 of the Local Government Act. High-profile 'faces' such as Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Cashman were among its founders. Stonewall GB is based in London. Stonewall Scotland has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow and Stonewall Cymru is based in both Cardiff and Bangor in North Wales. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Image File history File links Gay_flag. ... World laws on homosexuality Same-sex unions in North America. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... The Death of Orpheus In Albrecht Dürers 1494 drawing, the banner hung in the tree reads: Orfeus der erst puseran (Orpheus, the first sodomite). The word puseran(t) derives from the Latin bulgarus from which come also the terms bugger in English and bougre in French. ... 1988 With Michael Cashman at the Gay Rights March on Manchester in protest of Section 28, the act outlawing local government funding of any pro-gay activity. ... 1988 With Michael Cashman at the Gay Rights March on Manchester in protest of Section 28, the act outlawing local government funding of any pro-gay activity. ... Sir Ian McKellen takes a day out at Universal Studios, Hollywood, April 2000. ... Michael Cashman (born December 17, 1950) was a British actor and is now a Labour politician. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Labour Party has since its formation in the early 20th century been the principal left wing political party of the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body by promoting a point of view that is conducive to an individuals or organizations goals. ... 1988 Sir Ian McKellen with Michael Cashman at the Gay Rights March on Manchester in protest of Section 28. ... There are many acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom called the Local Government Act. ... Sir Ian McKellen at the premiere of The Return of the King in Wellington, New Zealand, December 1, 2003 Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CBE (born May 25, 1939) is a highly acclaimed Oscar nominated actor on both stage and screen. ... Michael Cashman (born December 17, 1950) was a British actor and is now a Labour politician. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation) and Defining London (below). ...

Although Stonewall was set up to be a professional lobbying organisation rather than a membership organisation, it has diversified into areas such as policy development for the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people since Labour came into power. A lesbian is a homosexual woman who is aesthetically, sexually and romantically attracted to other women. ... In modern society, gay is a word which can be used as either a noun or adjective. ... Bisexuality in human sexual behavior refers to the aesthetic, romantic, and/or sexual desire for people of either gender and/or for people of either sexes. ...

Accomplishments

Initially, its most high profile work was backing legal test cases in the European Court of Human Rights. These included: European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights, often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints from Council of Europe member states. ...

• teenager Chris Morris, who successfully challenged the unequal age of consent laws.
• Duncan Lustig-Prean, Jeanette Smith, Graham Grady, John Beckett who successfully challenged the ban on gays in the military.
• Lisa Grant, who sued her employer, South West Trains, for equal pay and benefits.

However, in the last four years it has seen conspicuous successes in parliamentary lobbying. Under its previous director Angela Mason (1992 to 2002) who was awarded an OBE "for services to homosexual rights", it saw amendments to the 2002 Adoption and Children Bill which treated lesbian and gay couples in the same way as heterosexuals. Under its current Chief Executive Ben Summerskill, it was closely involved in successful parliamentary campaigns to: Chris Morris Chris Morris was the teenage gay activist responsible for equalising the homosexual age of consent in the United Kingdom, aided by the campaigning organisation Stonewall. ... Worldwide age of consent laws. ... The militaries of the world have a variety of responses to homosexual and bisexual orientations and acts. ... South West Trains (SWT) is a Train Operating Company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon and Wiltshire (the area largely covered before 1923 by the London and South Western Railway... Equal pay for women is an issue involving pay inequality between men and women. ... Angela Mason OBE was the first Chief Executive (1992 - 2003) of the UK-based LGBT lobbying organisation Stonewall. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these... Ben Summerskill is the Chief Executive of the UK-based LGBT lobbying organisation Stonewall. ...

• repeal Section 28 of the Local Government Act (2003),
• recognise anti-gay hate crimes, through the Criminal Justice Act 2003,
• introduce the Civil Partnership Act 2004 giving gay and lesbian couples a legal framework equivalent to civil marriage,
• introduce protections against discrimination on grouns of sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services, through the Equality Act 2006.

Stonewall also works with more than 150 major employers across Britain providing advice and support to gay staff. These include IBM, Credit Suisse, the Inland Revenue and the Royal Navy. 1988 Sir Ian McKellen with Michael Cashman at the Gay Rights March on Manchester in protest of Section 28. ... The United Kingdom Local Government Act of 1988 was famous for introducing the controversial Section 28 into law. ... wanking furiously ... The Civil Partnership Act 2004 grants legal status to gay and lesbian couples in the United Kingdom. ... International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue; NYSE: IBM) is a computer technology firm headquartered in Armonk, NY, USA. The company, which was founded in 1888 and incorporated June 15, 1911, manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, infrastructure services, hosting services, and consulting services. ... The Credit Suisse Group is a financial services company, headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. ... The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...

An "Education for All" campaign was launched in 2005, in cooperation with 70 other organsiations, to start tackling homophobic bullying in British schools. The term homophobia means a fear of or contempt for homosexuality or homosexuals or the fear of becoming homosexual. ...

Criticism

Despite it's high profile image as a leading campaign group, Stonewall has begun to lose support within the mainstream gay community. Grass-roots activists such as Peter Tatchell have accused Stonewall of 'Endorsing Discrimination' for holding regular "champagne receptions" for celebrities and politicians supported by big businesses such as HSBC despite being sued in 2005 Peter Lewis for unfair dismissal on grounds of sexual orientation. Act-UP AIDS activists have also slammed Stonewall for endorsing HIV drug manufactures including Glaxo on ethical grounds. Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January, 1952) is a sometimes controversial human rights activist based in Britain. ... HSBC Holdings PLC (匯豐控股有限公司) (NYSE: HBC, LSE: HSBA, HKEx: 005, Euronext: HSBC) is one of the largest banking groups in the world. ... Peter Lewis is the Cleveland, Ohio-area based Chairman of Progressive Insurance Companies. ... The Red Ribbon is a symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (or acronym AIDS), is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by infection with the human... Human immunodeficiency virus, commonly known by the initialism HIV, formerly known as HTLV-III and lymphadenopathy-associated virus, is a retrovirus that primarily infects vital components of the human immune system such as CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. ... GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plc is a pharmaceutical and healthcare company, one of the largest in the world. ...

Former Stonewall campaigner Chris Morris left the organisation in 1999 after becoming frustrated with the way the organisation was changing. In a column for Outcast Magazine Morris wrote; Chris Morris may refer to : Chris Morris (satirist) Chris Morris (activist) Chris Morris (basketball player) This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

"In return for their generosity, major donors are often rewarded with a place on Stonewall's board of directors and, because the organisation has supporters rather than members, these key positions are the only official way to influence Stonewall policy. A quick glance through the organisation's literature will show that yesterday's sponsors are today's decision-makers; and most key players have ongoing financial interests in lucrative gay businesses. By giving financial donors the only voice in setting the agenda, gay right organisations have left themselves open to a serious charge of having a conflict of interests. Can it really just be coincidence that most groups are fighting exclusively for legal reforms and ignoring calls to tackle social prejudice, while accepting money from a business community which thrives because of social inequality?".

Morris's concerns turned out to be accurate when, when Stonewall faced a backlash from a large coalition of gay and civil rights groups including Outrage which formed the Coalition for Marriage Equality which argued the new Civil Partnership Bill created a separate yet equal system, "not unlike Apartied". Outrage is a Anarcho-punk album, by the band Oi Polloi. ...

External link

• Stonewall official site