Video: Stonewall boss Ruth Hunt defends Lib Dems’ equal marriage support

In her speech at the Stonewall Equality Dinner, acting chief executive Ruth Hunt has both praised her predecessor Ben Summerskill, but defended the Lib Dems against comments he made about the party’s support for equal marriage.

In the speech she also reflected on how much work is still to be done, mentioning issues faced by trans people, and those still affected by prejudice around the world.

Ex-CEO of Stonewall, Ben Summerskill, was in the news this week for calling Liberal Democrats “cynical” and “opportunistic” in the party’s support for same-sex marriage.

Mr Summerskill, who resigned as chief executive of Stonewall last month, also published a series of tweets expressing his disappointment at not being able to attend this week’s Stonewall Equality Dinner at the Dorchester Hotel in central London.

He also suggested that Jacqueline Davies, who is stepping down as chair of the board of Stonewall in May, had been pushed from her post – claims which Stonewall has denied to PinkNews.

He told Conservative MP Margot James that Stonewall’s Acting Chief Executive Ruth Hunt had insisted that he was not present at the event marking the charity’s 25th anniversary.

In her speech, she began by praising previous Stonewall director, Angela Mason and then Mr Summerskill: “We are better today for the struggles that they went through for us.

She went on to comment on equal marriage, saying it was “a huge and significant milestone in our journey for equality, it’s a milestone which was possible because of the work and legacy of the Labour Party who secured every single legislative change leading up to this one.

“It was a huge milestone because of the determination, vision and commitment of the Liberal Democrats to carry this policy forward, and even when met with a small degree of scepticism and indecision on whether it was important,” after which the crowd cheered.

“It was down to the personal commitment of David Cameron, the Prime Minister who brought his party with him. It was a truly cross-party effort.”

Reflecting on the history of Stonewall in England and Wales, she said: “I would say that over the past 25 years, Stonewall has been hugely successful. Very few charities can say they have achieved their founding mission. We’ve been successful, but I would argue we are yet to be significant.”

She went on to discuss the work still to be done, and the people still affected by prejudices, and those still hiding who they are.

Noting the work still to be done, she mentioned issues faced by young trans people, saying: “The trans young person who gets changed with a bunch of boys who call her ‘queer’ and ‘poof’ and ‘faggot’, and threaten to hit her, I doubt she would say ‘our work is done’”, she said.

“We are not yet done. Let us not give up. Stonewall isn’t giving up. It’s going to get tougher. Stonewall has a responsibility to go deeper and further than we ever have before.”

MEP and Stonewall co-founder Michael Cashman this week advised Mr Summerskill to take a “deep breath, stand back and let the organisation get on what it has set out to do, and if he doesn’t, Ben’s in danger of undermining the work that he’s put into Stonewall, which is part of where the organisation is now.”

He added: “You can’t take back what’s been said but what I think you should therefore enter into is a period of silence and reflection.”

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/03/22/video-stonewall-boss-ruth-hunt/


Well...It would seem that Ben was forced out of his position for some reason or other, so that's why he's a bit fed up.  

Jan Bridget • 3 hours ago

Well done, Ruth. We have come a long way and Stonewall have achieved a lot, but so have Outrage and Peter Tatchell, Schools Out, and the many other organisations and individuals, a lot of whom were challenging homophobia before Stonewall UK was born, but who don’t have the same money or visibility.

Of the six key institutions that create and perpetuate homophobia, we can tick the box for only one, that is law.

Media has improved significantly but there is still some way to go.

Medicine has come on a little, at least we aren’t put into mental institutions for simply being gay or lesbian as some of my friends were. But medicine in its broadest sense also has a long way to go before it takes on board the huge health inequalities LGBT people face as a consequence of homophobia – in particular around mental health and substance misuse.

However, the other three institutions, religion, education and the family have a long, long, way to go.

In my opinion, to be SIGNIFICANT, as Ruth says in her speech, we need to be challenging the five other institutions. And we will be much more powerful and
successful if we do it TOGETHER.

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Tanya Laura Pope • 4 hours ago

Good for her,,and its good news for people like me Transsexual, as least this Stonewall ( on this side of the big pond) includes us, Thank you Ruth

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Them guzzing champers, whist sniffing down their noses at poorer people, didn't sit right with me though.