Dan James Smith, of the LGB Alliance Business Forum, warns employers to be wary about allowing translobby groups to impose the ideology they hold on diversity policies in the workplace. This could lead them into legal trouble and damage their reputation.
The purpose of equality, diversity, and inclusion policies was to create a more equal society, where no one would be bullied because of their differences and opportunities were available to everyone. But EDI is being hijacked by activists and workplaces are now battlegrounds.
Sandie Peggie is a nurse who has had a 30-year career without blemish. She knows this better than anyone. She was not given a fair hearing or a rational debate when she expressed her concerns about the transgender doctor who identified as female using the women’s changing rooms at NHS Fife. Instead, she was accused and suspended for transphobia.
Peggie’s case heard last month, and adjourned to July, shows that even with the best intentions, EDI can harm the people it is designed to protect.
The idea of single-sex change rooms where people can undress should not be controversial. Today, thanks to activist groups’ training, businesses are unwittingly becoming ideological enforcers and silencing employees that dare to disagree.
Many EDI policies, instead of promoting real inclusion, sideline those they were supposed to protect – especially lesbians and gay men, as well as bisexuals.
Impact extends outside the public sector. As a gay man who questioned Monzo Bank’s trans-inclusion postings on LinkedIn, its staff used my information without my permission to post it internally and labeled me a transphobe. For months, my details were exposed on the staff communication channel.
The Information Commissioner’s Office gave Monzo a slap on the wrist but the bank refused an apology. The message was clear: inclusion is only possible if you have the “right” opinions.
Employers often preach “openness” to their employees and encourage them to “bring themselves to work”. It is often a hollow platitude. When you mention women’s or gay rights, colleagues will give you furtive looks, but then someone will say: “A woman can be anyone who wants to identify as such.”
Sex is a “spectrum”
LGB rights have been hard won. We are able to donate blood, join the military, get married, and we’re protected against workplace discrimination. LGB workers face pressure to declare their pronouns and accept they are attracted to the “same” gender. Refusing to do so can lead to being demoted, investigated or fired.
It is not intended to be a call to employers who favour gender-critical sex realists and disregard employees who are committed towards gender identity. Remember that gender reassignment, a protected characteristic is as harmful to trans employees as it is for everyone else.
Ironically, this new form of homophobia signals success. The need for lobby groups decreased as LGB people achieved legal equality.
As the money dried up, activists rebranded their cause and adopted “TQ+”. The Equality Act protects sexual orientation and sex as protected characteristics. Queer theory, however, and the unscientific notion that sex can be a spectrum have replaced these. Transphobia was smeared on those who insisted differently, not least because Stonewall had, up until recently, stated this in its online LGBTQ+ dictionary.
Nancy Kelley’s, former Stonewall chief executive, made it clear that she was against gender-critical views. She compared them to ” homosexual racism“, presenting basic discussions on sex-based issues as hate speech. It emboldened some leaders who were ill-informed to label gender-critical views “bigotry”, resulting in unlawful discrimination of employees who upheld legal protections.
Activist-driven guidance
Consequences are mounting. Companies that blindly follow activist guidance run the risk of lengthy legal battles as well as reputational damage. After an independent KC report showed that Stonewall had stated the law in the way it would like it to be rather than how it actually is, a wave of private and public sector organisations have withdrawn from the Diversity Champions programme.
Even the UK government is reversing course. The BBC, Equality and Human Rights Commission and various government departments have all quietly withdrawn their support for Stonewall. They realized that outsourcing EDI policy to activists causes more problems than they solve.
It is not intended to encourage employers to favor gender-critical, sex realists at the expense of employees who are committed towards gender identity. Remember that gender reassignment, a protected characteristic is not to be abused. Trans staff will also suffer if they are given extreme or illegal guidance.
Respect each employee
While I applaud the “Great Withdrawal” from Stonewall, it is possible to throw the baby with the bathwater. Instead of abandoning all efforts to make workplaces faire for LGB employees, I’d like to see companies set specific, measurable targets that respect each employee and the law.
The LGB Alliance Business Forum launched last month, and I’m co-chair. We want employers to align their policies with the Equality Act and not the latest ideologies.
Businesses that follow activist-driven policy without legal scrutiny are at risk for costly tribunals and damage to their reputation. Employers can take these steps to avoid workplace conflict and legal disputes:
- Examine external advisers with care. Consultants who can’t demonstrate how their advice is in line with local laws should not be working for your company. Many employers outsource their EDI strategies, rather than hiring experts who know equality law, to lobby groups that have an ideological agenda.
- Promote diversity of thought. An environment that punishes workers for having lawful and differing opinions is not inclusive, but oppressive. True diversity is about allowing debate and discussion, not forcing ideological conformity.
- Do not take a position on everything. Identity Politics and ideologies are divisive by nature. Employers are often better off being apolitical, unless politics is integral to their mission.
- Consult the right people. Women and LGB workers should be involved in the development of policies that affect sex-based issues, not only activist lobby groups. Ignoring perspectives from those who are directly affected can lead to resentment and conflict, as well as legal challenges.
- Take responsibility for your culture. CEOs make the decisions, not advisers. Business leaders must have the confidence to influence the culture and values of their organisation, rather than outsourcing morality.
Workplaces should not be used as a tool for ideological coercion, but rather as a place of fairness and merit. Peggie’s case is more than a scandal. It is a warning about what can happen when organizations let activist dogma take precedence over diversity of opinion.
Most employers want productive, happy employees who are proud to speak about their workplace. It is not acceptable to call LGB employees “queer” and gag them with a rainbow.
Now the question is, will businesses and public institutions learn? Will they continue to double down until public opinion and the courts force them to change or will they keep on doubling up?
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