• About Us
  • Brief overview of Stonewall Cymru
  • How Stonewall Cymru works
  • Key priorities for 2005 - 2008
  • Meet the Team
  • Getting involved
  • Publications
  • Media Enquiries
  • Stonewall Cymru eBulletin
  • Job opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Counted In! report
  • Request a Stonewall Cymru speaker
  • LGB Mental Health Research Project
• News
• Look Out
• Campaigns
• Support Us
• Across Wales
• Workplace
• Information Bank
• Events

Brief overview of Stonewall Cymru and the former LGB Forum Cymru

Devolution in Wales has brought significant progress in changing the situation of lesbian, gay and bisexual people for the better, and the National Assembly has sought to find solutions appropriate to Wales. This page gives a brief review of the work of Stonewall Cymru in its first three years of operation, from 2002 to 2005.

The LGB Forum Cymru was established in 2002 through the joint support and funding of the National Assembly of Wales and Stonewall (UK). In 2003 the LGB Forum Executive Committee changed the name to Stonewall Cymru to gain increased support from Stonewall (UK) and access to their expertise and resources.

The Government of Wales Act 1998 requires that:

• the Assembly make appropriate arrangements to secure that its functions are exercised with due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people.
• the Assembly publish an annual report on its arrangements for promoting equality and their effectiveness.

To give life to these duties, the Assembly supported the development of four consultative networks in Wales designed to promote participation of marginalised groups policy making and service delivery: All Wales Ethnic Minorities Association, Disability Wales, Wales Women's National Coalition and  Stonewall Cymru.

In addition, a Standing Committee on  Equality of Opportunity was set up, which includes representatives from the three statutory equality commissions: the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission and also recognizes equality by language, sexual orientation, age, and faith, as well as in relation to gypsy-travellers and refugees. Stonewall Cymru has a standing invitation to attend the Committee on Equality of Opportunity meetings as an advisory body on the needs of LGB people in Wales.

Since its foundation, Stonewall Cymru has achieved a great deal:

• We carried out the first ever survey of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in Wales, Counted Out, ensuring LGB equality issues are firmly on the agenda of policy makers in Wales. The Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration gives an annual update on progress towards meeting the report's recommendations.
• We have worked with employers to provide them with guidance on tackling work place discrimination faced by LGB people. We have also published information in Welsh and in English about new employment rights: Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations Guidelines for Employers and publicised this information within lesbian and gay communities, Discrimination at work It's so over. We attend seminars and conferences to give employers insights into LGB issues in the workplace, and give advice on encouraging equality and diversity.
• We have set up the LookOut project to monitor the Welsh press, challenge homophobic reporting and provide accurate information about the lives of LGB people in Wales.
• The Assembly's Sex and Relationships Guidance now states that teachers should be able to deal with issues of sexuality or sexual orientation honestly, sensitively and in a non-discriminatory way. This effectively abolished Section 28 in Wales  before legislation was repealed in England.
• Our Community Development Programme has worked with a wide range of community groups during the last few years including extensive consultation with LGB organisations and individuals across Wales. In 2004 we completed an audit of LGB community groups and LGB needs across Wales and produced the Count us in! Report.
• We have argued strongly from an LGB perspective during discussions around the forthcoming Commission for Equality and Human Rights.
• We have launched an Education for All campaign to tackle homophobic bullying in Welsh schools.

'Our achievements in our first three years would not have been possible without the commitment and energy of our partners, which include LGB community activists, other equality organisations and Government.  Thank you to those individuals and organisations that have worked with us. We look forward to continuing these partnerships over the years ahead.'

Sylvia Jones & Neil Wooding
Co-chairs, Stonewall Cymru Council 2004

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