Stonewall Strategy: Free to Be

At Stonewall, we stand for all lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) people.

We imagine a world where LGBTQ+ people everywhere are free to be themselves and can live their lives to the full.

We know that, as part of a vibrant global movement for change made up of LGBTQ+ people, our allies, families and friends, we will get there. Together.

Our 2021-5 strategy sets out how we will campaign together with our partners and supporters to create the world we imagine.

Stonewall Strategy 21-25: Free to Be

May 2021

Over the last 30 years, we have helped create transformative change in the lives of LGBTQ+ people across communities in the UK. We have travelled a path from Section 28, and the total suppression of LGBTQ+ identities in schools, to every child learning about our lives, families and relationships as part of the national curriculum in most of the UK. That same path has taken us from a world where our relationships were criminalised to one where we have equal rights to love. And, for those of us who want to, equal rights to marry, or to have children. 

We are proud of who we are and what we have achieved together, and we know more change is desperately needed.

Because in every community in the UK, and around the world, LGBTQ+ people are still being abused, thrown out of their homes, and bullied in schools and workplaces. The institutions that should protect us – our governments, communities, faith institutions and families – too often stand silent, or actively harm us.

And for some LGBTQ+ people, these harms are particularly acute. From racism to ableism, misogyny to classism, LGBTQ+ people of colour, LBTQ+ women, LGBTQ+ people who are disabled, those of us living in poverty, who are of faith, and many more of us, are held back and pushed aside as we make our way through life.

We stand for the freedom, equity, and potential of all LGBTQ+ people. We have organised our goals under these pillars to address these injustices and improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the UK and worldwide. Read on to learn more and download the full strategy. 

We can’t create the world we imagine, the world our communities deserve, without you.

Join us.

Freedom

We will campaign for:

• A legally enforceable ban on conversion therapy across the UK, with support for survivors and training for frontline professionals.
• Hate crime and hate speech laws in the UK that protect LGBTQ+ communities, as well as advocating for restorative approaches.
• Better UNHCR guidelines on deciding LGBTQ+ asylum claims, and fairer outcomes for LGBTQ+ refugees here in the UK.
• Inclusive legal recognition which respects and protects who we are, and our relationships.

Equity

We will:

• Campaign for accessible and high-quality healthcare for all LGBTQ+ people.
• Ensure we are properly supporting and working alongside LGBTQ+ people of colour.
• Build strong relations with inclusive faith communities and challenge religiously-informed discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.
• Create a strong evidence base to support activism and campaigning work that tackles the deep inequalities within our communities.
• Support LGBTQ+ people across their lives, from school age to retirement age and beyond.

Potential

We will:

• Expand and improve our Diversity Champions and Global Diversity Champions programmes so that more LGBTQ+ people are accepted and celebrated at work, wherever we work.
• Expand our empowerment programmes so that more LGBTQ+ people and their allies can step up as leaders, role models, and activists in their own communities.
• Champion LGBTQ+ inclusion across schools and colleges by working with educational institutions across the UK.
• Campaign for LGBTQ+ inclusion across sport worldwide so that every LGBTQ+ person feels comfortable and confident taking part in the sports and physical activities they love.
• Support Pride in all its forms – because all LGBTQ+ people have the right to protest, celebrate, and connect in safe, supportive spaces.