Ofcom has announced its withdrawal from a diversity scheme run by LGBT+ charity Stonewall.
Good for them! It's not the first and hopefully it won't be the last:
The communications regulator said in a statement it has withdrawn from the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme because of “the need to remain impartial and independent at all times” and because taking part “poses a conflict or risk of perceived bias”.
Other organisations including the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Cabinet Office have also quit the scheme in recent months.
As Fahrenheit211 points out, this is a group that - while set up in a time of undoubted need, and with initial good intentions and sucesses - has long since lost its way and now endangers the very social cohesion it initially fought to establish.
A Stonewall spokesperson said (Ed: no doubt through gritted teeth...): “We respect Ofcom’s decision and will continue to work with them in their role as the UK’s communication regulator.
“It is sad, however, that involvement in a programme that supports an inclusive workplace for LGBTQ+ employees should be in any way regarded as an unimpartial act.”
You only have to look at the PR disasters you've had in recent months to see why a government department of impartial arbiter might be leery of you, unnamed spokesperson...
“As with every membership programme, organisations come and go depending on what works best for their inclusion journey at the time, and we’re very proud of the work we’ve done with Ofcom and wish them the best in their ongoing efforts to support all of their LGBTQ+ employees.”
They've decided the best way to do that is not to trample on the rights of those LGBTQ+ employees in order to appease a miniscule and unrepresentative section. And who can blame them?
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