Behind the Rainbow: How Stonewall is Falling Short for Transgender Individuals

Broken rainbow coloured stonewall with a transgender flag showing through the cracks
Stonewall’s Fall from Grace: How the Charity is Failing the Trans Community

For years, Stonewall was the loudest voice in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the UK. A powerhouse that took on governments, reshaped policies, and made workplaces safer for countless queer people. But lately? Lately, it feels like they’ve lost the plot. Ask many transgender individuals today what they think of Stonewall, and you’ll hear frustration, disillusionment, and outright anger. The charity that once stood for progress is now dodging the real battles, offering weak responses when trans lives are on the line, and refusing to engage when it truly matters.

Too Focused on Image, Not Enough on Action

Stonewall’s problem isn’t just silence, it’s a refusal to take bold, meaningful action. The charity has become obsessed with institutional respectability, favouring corporate partnerships and government lobbying over grassroots activism. They seem more concerned with maintaining their image than standing up for the people who need them the most.

The Diversity Champions scheme, once a force for workplace equality has come under fire for prioritising big businesses over real, on the ground change. It’s all well and good to have corporate diversity policies, but what about the actual lives of trans people? What about the NHS patients who are waiting years for an appointment? What about the young trans people who have been abandoned by a crumbling healthcare system? These are the fights that matter, and these are the fights that Stonewall is walking away from.

The Cass Review: Where Was the Outrage?

Then there’s the Cass Review, the so-called “independent” report on trans healthcare in the UK, which has become a blueprint for restricting access to life-saving care. The review had known transphobic ‘gender-critical’ individuals on the policy working group. Off the back of this report, puberty blockers have been permanently banned for trans youth, despite the fact that they’ve been proven safe and effective. This should have been a moment for Stonewall to roar to rally the community, demand justice, and push back against a report that puts trans kids in danger.

Instead? We got a lacklustre statement, full of careful language that tried not to rock the boat. Stonewall’s response acknowledged some concerns but didn’t call out the report for what it truly was: a political tool, written with advice from transphobes, to restrict trans healthcare. The trans community was furious. Rightly so.

Trans youth are already facing skyrocketing wait times, dwindling access to care, and rising hostility from bigoted media. The Cass Review just poured fuel on that fire. And yet, Stonewall-one of the biggest LGBTQ+ charities in the country could barely muster more than a cautious, PR-approved shrug.

Stonewall’s Tepid Response to Trump’s 2025 Anti-Trans Executive Order

Then In January 2025, President Trump signed an executive order attacking the rights of transgender people. It was a devastating move, one that demanded a strong, unwavering response from the biggest LGBTQ+ organisations in the world. So what did Stonewall do? They put out another shocking statement that never once mentioned transgender individuals. Not once. In a moment when trans people needed a fierce defence, Stonewall gave us a vague, half-hearted nod to “equality for all.”

Stonewall responds to new US Government's announcements on LGBTQ+ rights.

Stonewall (@stonewalluk.bsky.social) 2025-01-21T17:23:45.759Z

The message was clear: when the going gets tough, Stonewall gets quiet.

This wasn’t just a PR blunder. It was a betrayal. If an LGBTQ+ charity can’t even say the word trans in the face of an open attack, how can the trans community trust them to fight for us at all?

Can Stonewall Be Saved?

Stonewall still has the resources, the influence, and the reach to be a force for real change. But first, it needs to get its priorities straight. That means:

  • Actually listening to the trans community and responding to our concerns, not just playing it safe for the media.
  • Taking a stand on trans healthcare, loudly, unapologetically, and without political hedging.
  • Refocusing on grassroots activism, not just corporate sponsorships and government lobbying.
  • Being fearless again. The Stonewall of the past wasn’t afraid to ruffle feathers. That’s the Stonewall we need now.

If the charity keeps tiptoeing around the real fights, it risks becoming irrelevant or worse, an organisation that no longer serves the people it claims to represent. The trans community deserves better than lukewarm statements and political caution. We deserve real advocacy. And if Stonewall won’t step up, then maybe it’s time we found or built something better.