Trans Kids Deserve Better than Kezia Dugdale: a statement on Stonewall’s new chair

The following is a statement from Trans Kids Deserve Better on the appointment of Kezia Dugdale as chair of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall:

Liberal charities are not coming to save us.

Kezia Dugdale, former leader of the Scottish Labour Party, was recently announced as the new Chair of Stonewall – a major UK charity supposedly in support of ALL queer rights, including the rights of trans+ individuals.

Following Dugdale’s announcement as the new chair of Stonewall UK, she was interviewed by the Guardian, exposing many of her alarming personal views, particularly towards trans+ people, JK Rowling, and the military.

During the interview, Dugdale referred to having a no-debate position on trans rights as a slogan from ‘the marketing exec’s room’, that was unrealistic in real life contexts, while also explicitly refusing to condemn Nigel Farage and JK Rowling for their opposition to the trans community, saying ‘I have a huge respect for JK Rowling‘, and replying ‘Of course‘ to the suggestion of having a meeting with Nigel Farage.

Her response to the supreme court ruling which threatens to ban transgender individuals from public life has been to assert that ‘it’s the law, and it should be respected‘. If Dugdale was the chair when Stonewall was founded, we can only assume she would similarly respect Section 28, and IVF restrictions for same-sex couples, rather than doing anything about these obviously wrong laws.

Until people like Kezia Dugdale understand that our lives, our existence, our dignity, and our human rights, should never have been allowed to be up for debate, there can be no peaceful coexistence in society. The vast majority of people wouldn’t even consider changing laws that protect people against racism or homophobia to appease the racists and homophobes, so why would you change laws to appease transphobic ‘feminists’?

Not only are Stonewall failing a substantial portion of the community they allegedly support, they are actively complicit in the Palestinian genocide, helping weapons companies by using their support for LGBTQ+ people as a distraction from what those arms dealers are doing across the world.

When exposing Stonewall’s concerning ties with the military industrial complex, a former staff member in Stonewall’s national offices made a statement on their continued partnership with arms dealers and weapons manufacturers, stating: ‘Stonewall has plenty of resources, they don’t need a few thousand pounds a year from BAE. They could stand to lose that income, they just choose not to. LGBTQ+ rights isn’t an apolitical issue.’

Dugdale’s response to the criticism of her appointment has been to release a statement of meaningless word vomit, which completely fails to address her comments on the supreme court ruling and on Nigel Farage, as well as the organisation’s continued partnership with weapons companies.

Despite Stonewall’s complete failure to advocate for trans+ rights, you can still take action against those who seek to oppress us. By joining a grassroots activist group or even starting your own, you can make a direct, tangible impact on the lives of trans+ and other marginalised people. By standing together, we gain the ability to take power out of the hands of uncaring politicians and charity chairs, by acting in large numbers to demand what we want, as a community.

Unlike Stonewall, these groups fight against bad laws, and don’t help those responsible for genocide cover up their actions under a rainbow flag. Groups such as TKDB, your local Food Not Bombs chapter, Queers for Palestine, and The Dyke Project, will fight to make a better world for all of us.

Trans kids deserve better than Kezia Dugdale.

Featured image via the Canary