In turbulent times for the LGBTQ+ community, we must be courageous
The LGBTQ+ community can no longer assume our rights are safe, and progress is inevitable, writes Stonewall CEO Simon Blake.
by: Simon Blake
11 Jul 2025
Stonewall launches its new strategy. Image: Stonewall
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As many in the LGBTQ+ community gathered in London on Saturday (5 July) to celebrate Pride, we did so against a tumultuous backdrop.
We currently find ourselves in a climate reminiscent of the early battles for LGBTQ+ rights, and where hard-won advancements are threatened on a global scale. It is against that backdrop that Stonewall is stepping up and refreshing the approach needed to meet the challenges of the times.
The LGBTQ+ community can no longer assume our rights are safe, and progress is inevitable. Once again, we need Stonewall ensuring the voices and experiences of our diverse LGBTQ+ community are at the centre of political conversations, in boardrooms and in the corridors of power.
The decision of the Supreme Court in April ricocheted through the LGBTQ+ community, but the process that followed has shocked it – both the speed and haste with which it has been undertaken.
This follows access to healthcare being reduced for many in the trans community and the long-awaited bill on banning conversion practices, promised by this government time and time again, not likely to appear before the summer.
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Outside of the UK, there has been a global rollback of rights, with reduced funding and commitment to programming that we have long taken for granted.
In 1988, the year before Stonewall was founded, hundreds of public figures from all walks of life came together with a sense of alarm. Writing openly they said:“An atmosphere in which the incidence of violence against LGBTQ+ people is increasing. We are worried that an unthinking intolerance is being more confidently expressed, in some quarters. And we fear that others in all the surrounding circumstances are seeing a signal for renewed hatred.”
Nearly 40 years on, these words could be written today.
Throughout history, we have seen people argue that enhancing rights for some diminishes the rights of others. I do not believe that to be true. Although not easy to achieve or possible without compromise, enhancing the rights of everyone should not be seen as a zero-sum game. As we look to the future, we need to ensure we have a comprehensive legislative framework that ensures every single member of the LGBTQ+ community is afforded equal protection and treatment under the law.
In courage and unity, is hope, sets out a new strategic focus for Stonewall which centres on three primary aims: navigating turbulence, shaping policy and legislation and fostering inclusive places. In many ways, it takes us back to our roots as an advocacy and influencing organisation; but with a broader community that has a commitment to trans inclusion baked in and an additional focus on organisations where so many of us spend so much of our waking lives.
Let us be in no doubt that, despite over two thirds of the UK believing that LGBTQ+ inclusion is a good thing, we are a long way from equality being a reality. Too many LGBTQ+ people are still bullied in school, feel forced to mask their identity at work, or go without the healthcare they need, and face higher risks to their mental health. Even in later life, some LGBTQ+ older people are pushed back into silence — hiding who they are, all over again.
The UK used to be a world leader in LGBTQ+ rights, but that is no longer the case. It has dropped sharply in ILGA-Europe’s LGBTQ+ rankings and London has lost its AAA status in the Open for Business’s latest city rankings. Following local elections, some organisations are refusing to fly the Pride flag.
Yet, I believe that our values as a nation are ones of inclusivity; we believe in live and let live; we believe in a fair playing field; we believe in supporting our neighbours and in the importance of community.
The LGBTQ+ community has faced many challenges over the decades; it has often felt like an uphill struggle and one that we will not win. In 1989, the path felt perilous and never ending. Yet, through united voices, and working together we have seen things that I never thought would happen in my lifetime and policy changes like equal marriage that are now a given part of the fabric of our society.
To achieve change, we must work in unity – we must find the courage to work with those that share our views and those that do not; we must build alliances and find consensus and common ground. We must turn our back on the polarisation and anger that has characterised conversations in recent years and focus on achieving sustainable and lasting change for all LGBTQ+ people. I believe that in courage and unity is hope; and that brighter times are on the horizon.
