Stonewall’s new chair on trans rights, JK Rowling and the future of the LGBTQ+ movement

This episode of Today in Focus examines the future of Stonewall, the UK's leading LGBTQ+ rights charity, one year after a landmark Supreme Court ruling that affirmed biological sex over gender identity in the context of single-sex services. With its income halved, staff cuts, and major organisations like the BBC and EHRC severing ties, the charity faces an existential crisis. The conversation centers on Kezia Dugdale, the newly appointed chair, who brings a personal and political urgency to the role. She reflects on her own experience as a public lesbian in a shifting cultural climate, expressing fear for the future of LGBTQ+ rights amid rising populism, anti-trans sentiment, and the politicization of gender. Dugdale acknowledges Stonewall’s past missteps—particularly its uncompromising stance on trans rights that alienated some long-time allies—but argues for a renewed strategy built on listening, dialogue, and healing. She emphasizes the need to move beyond polarized debates and focus on shared priorities like ending conversion therapy, securing justice for military veterans, and tackling everyday inequalities in housing, pensions, and healthcare. The episode also explores the broader cultural tensions, including the role of figures like J.K. Rowling and the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in mainstream politics, warning that progress is not guaranteed and could be reversed, as seen in countries like Italy.