Former and current staff have said the LGBTQ+ charity must end its partnerships with weapons manufacturers

Rebellion, revolution, riots, or uprising. Regardless of the term used to describe the events which unfolded on 28 June, 1969, the protests at the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village will remain one of the most defining and radical moments of LGBQT+ history. 

Often recognised as marking a shift change in the gay liberation movement of the late 1960s, it would not be an understatement to suggest Stonewall, as a moment in history, has changed millions of lives - not just in New York City, but across the world. 

Less than 20 years after protesters spontaneously rose up against police on the east coast of America, LGBTQ+ people across the UK were facing a fight of their own. A law passed in 1988 by Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government - known as Section 28 - prohibited local authorities in the United Kingdom from promoting homosexuality in schools or through publications, forcing teachers “back into the closet, or out of their job”, as well as scarring a generation of LGBT people.

Within a few months, the charity Stonewall was founded - with the aims of the group published on 24 May, 1989. In the years since, the organisation has been at the forefront of campaigning work to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people across Britain and beyond. 

Equalisation of the age of consent; securing legislation which allowed same-sex couples to adopt; and (successfully) working to repeal the very legislation which sparked its founding all serve as examples of Stonewall’s consistent work to improve the lives, and strengthen the human rights, of LGBTQ+ people. 

But now, 35 years into its work, the charity - now the largest of its kind in Europe - is facing a mid-life crisis of its own making. 

A charity built on protest becomes a charity facing protests

Stonewall’s annual Equality Dinner is a glitzy event, bringing in huge donations from wealthy individuals and organisations in support of LGBTQ+ rights. 

No strangers to protest themselves, Stonewall has often attracted crowds outside its events, as various shades of bigotry rear their ugly heads in an attempt to drown out progress. But this year’s event was very different. As Stonewall gathered with famous faces and the uber-rich - who had paid upwards of £10,000 per table for the privilege - a large crowd gathered outside the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London’s Covent Garden. 

Instead of the usual anti-LGBTQ+ slogans, misinformation and outright prejudice often on show outside its events, there was something which will have been all the more concerning for Stonewall bosses - a show of solidarity, with Progress Pride flags interspersed with Palestinian flags as LGBTQ+ and anti-war activists gathering to share a simple message: “End your relationship with arms dealers”.

Queers for Palestine (QfP) was founded in October 2023, shortly after the ramping up of attacks and genocidal rhetoric from the Israeli government in Palestine and the events of 7th October. Describing themselves as a group of “queers committed to the struggle for a just world, free of settler-colonialism, Zionism and capitalism”, they have focused their energies on opposing pinkwashing - the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights as a strategy to divert attention from an organisation’s human rights violations. 

Stonewall is the latest group to come under scrutiny after its relationship with arms dealers came to the fore. The last week also saw demonstrations demanding that Stonewall cut ties with arms manufacturers organised by queer groups in Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham and Glasgow. 

BAE Systems, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman - numbers one, two and four on the list of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers - all proudly describe themselves as Stonewall Diversity Champions. Stonewall even listed BAE as one of its “Top 100” best employers for LGBTQ+ people in 2024 - an accolade they have repeatedly been handed - and brag of its close relationship with the charity on its website. 

At the QfP protest, the demands on Stonewall were clear: immediately end relationships with BAE Systems, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman; immediately end relationships with any other arms manufacturers; develop a transparent and public ethical partnership policy that includes a commitment to stop working with arms manufacturers in future.

An open letter to Stonewall from Queers for Palestine echoing these demands has been signed by over a hundred and fifty queer groups

The group told TFN: “This action comes after years of internal protests from Stonewall workers, many of whom have quit their jobs due to Stonewall's refusal to heed their objections to the charity's ties with the arms trade. While the profits for these companies have exponentially increased in the past year, former workers at Stonewall have come forward to say that they have been raising objections to Stonewall's connections with arms companies since as far back as 2017.

“Stonewall's use of queer rights to celebrate arms companies whose profits have soared from the genocide in Palestine, including the recent massacres in Jabalia and the bombardment of Lebanon, constitutes pinkwashing and the weaponisation of queer identities for corporate profit and imperial violence.”

Even the charity’s guest of honour took umbrage at Stonewall’s relationship with the arms industry as a genocide rages in the Middle East. Presenter Nicola Thorp had been personally invited to the dinner by Stonewall CEO Simon Blake. 

But having arrived with her husband - actor Nikesh Patel - the pair decided against joining the glitzy event, instead standing with protesters and pleading with Stonewall’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to take action and steadfastly opposing what many have described as the charity’s complicity in genocide. 

The couple told TFN they “could not attend the dinner in good conscience”, adding: “Like many people we initially thought the issue was complex. But it is very simple: no human rights organisation should endorse arms manufacturers as champions of anything, let alone diversity. 

“Stonewall is not the only company with the ability to train and support LGBT+ staff and allies. Arms manufacturers are free and able to seek those services elsewhere without the endorsement of Stonewall.

“We hope Stonewall will reconsider its relationships with arms manufacturers whose practices seem fundamentally at odds with their values and mission.”

Stonewall’s Equality Dinner may now be coming to an end - TFN understands that after a huge reduction in the amount of money raised, the charity has decided not to hold the event again in 2025 - but a worrying precedent was set. 

Previous iterations of the dinner, or Stonewall conferences, were regularly protested by anti-trans campaigners, who were said to have verbally abused trans staff at their job amid their campaign of pressure for public sector organisations to divest from Stonewall. Police were never called. 

But on Wednesday, as a peaceful demonstration was held by grassroots LGBTQ+ activists outside a swanky London venue, police were called and eight vans deployed to dampen protests. 

This approach to those outside the Connaught Rooms - most of whom are members of the same vulnerable community that Stonewall exists to represent - was seen as a betrayal. 

Esme Duggleby, a former staff member who attended the protest, said: “Police were never called on transphobes, yet they called the police on us. Stonewall may not decide how many vans to send, but they will have called the police. They have gone full fash. The blind defence of people who are committing genocide. I just can’t get my head around it.”

Stonewall: Diversity Champions programme

This cannot be dismissed as a minority issue in the workplace either, or one which senior management are not aware of. TFN understands that Stonewall was so concerned about the protest in London they had to warn their own staff against attending, to save themselves even further embarrassment. 

And it’s not the first time this has become an issue for the charity. In fact, Stonewall’s relationship with arms dealers and weapons manufacturers is one which has plagued its recent history. But what does Stonewall’s relationship with BAE, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and others look like in practice? 

Stonewall’s Diversity Champions (DCs) programme claims to cover a quarter of workers across the UK, with thousands of employers a part of the scheme. Members pay between £3,090 and £12,360 per year - dependent on which areas of Stonewall’s work they operate in - to gain access to resources, the charity’s membership hub, as well as discounts on Stonewall events, such as the Equality Dinner. 

Groups are also evaluated according to Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, which measures their internal workplace practices and the impact they have on LGBTQ+ staff. One former member of staff quipped to TFN that it was as well they didn’t measure the external impact, as “this wouldn’t reflect well on the merchants of death”. 

BAE, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are all members of this scheme, alongside other defence contractors such as L3Harris, Airbus, Collins Aerospace and even the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) - the UK Government’s research facility responsible for the design, manufacture and support of warheads for nuclear weapons. As members, all of these groups would ordinarily be assigned an account manager - a Stonewall employee with around 30 to 40 clients who will be responsible for supporting Diversity Champions (DCs) with their LGBTQ+ inclusion work. 

But for arms dealers, it’s not that simple. One current member of Stonewall staff working with DCs told TFN that while “some of us will be managing defence contractors or weapons manufacturers”, most are now looked after by management, as most lower-level account managers “won’t want to work with them”.

This was supported by another former Stonewall worker, who said: “These organisations don’t care, they don’t contact their link staff at Stonewall. From my understanding, most account managers flat out refused to deal with arms dealers. Most staff have said this, meaning that management or more senior staff were left to deal with the arms dealers.”

This reticence from some staff hasn’t put the likes of Raytheon and BAE off from continuing their relationship with Stonewall - far from it. 

TFN understands that while Raytheon have only been members of the Diversity Champions programme for two years, they have paid upwards of £30,000 to Stonewall between fees, and tickets to high-profile events, like the one in London last week. 

BAE Systems, staff say, have “really only paid their membership” except for having gone to “dinners and conferences”, but “it’s minimal in comparison to Raytheon”. However, BAE has long been recognised by Stonewall as an example of a good employer for LGBTQ+ folk, naming them on their top workplace lists in 2022 and 2024 - an award won overall by the Mi5 security service in 2016. 

Each year, Diversity Champion membership fees from the seven companies outlined above will see Stonewall pocket at least £21,630, rising to £86,520 if the companies operate in England, Wales, Scotland and globally. 

Stonewall as a whole brought in millions of pounds in the last financial year, with the charity’s accounts for 2022/23 showing income totalling £7,779,924. 

One staff member told TFN of the prospect of Stonewall ending this monetary relationship with arms dealers: “Yes there would be a financial hit, but they could recover, and they would have better standing with people of colour, better standing within LGBTQ+ grassroots organisations, be more respected. When I tell people about this they can’t believe it, they are shocked. A lot of the reason the QfP campaign has taken off is just that - people just didn’t know.”

Another said the continued work of arms dealers, and their presence at events, made staff feel uncomfortable and ashamed of their work with Stonewall. They told TFN: “They mainly worked through the diversity champions programme. Being at workplace conferences and looking at the Workplace Equality Index and seeing them there was atrocious - I was uncomfortable. 

“As someone involved with the staff network, I saw the impact that working with these clients would have on account managers. That includes putting somebody who was a black, non-citizen, as the client for the Metropolitan Police! There was really no concern for the internal welfare of staff on client distributions.

“Signing up for the Diversity Champions programme is a small amount of money, and Stonewall could easily have turned around and said ‘we don’t want it’. But you would always see BAE in there, so they’d be invited to events, parties, celebrated, put on panels, and platformed. They could absolutely stop this. 

“In various different iterations of reviews of DC, we knew this wasn’t fit for purpose. We’re charging massive corporations the same amount as little firms. It may be easier said than done, but we always had the feeling that the overhaul of the DC programme could reprioritise how we could support other parts of the charity. I know Stonewall was struggling with money, but realistically speaking they could have said ‘no we’re not taking this’ and carried out business as usual.”

A former staff member in Stonewall’s nation offices said continuing to partner with arms dealers and weapons manufacturers through the DC programme was “pathetic” and “indefensible”. He worked at the charity for two years until 2020 and mused on “what a betrayal of the Stonewall riots the organisation has become”. 

He added: “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.”

One, who cited the continued work with companies such as BAE as a reason for leaving, said Stonewall’s arms dealer partnership had had a profound effect on the wellbeing of staff. They told TFN: “To be clear, Stonewall staff aren't the victims here, it's the people who are getting bombed who are. But I think the impact on staff mental health can't be underestimated. We were all crying all the time. We had a crying park round the corner from the offices when things got too much.”

Stonewall staff speak out

Given Stonewall’s track-record of driving change across the UK, it is no surprise the workers they attract are often activists in their own right. 

It is those same staff who have proved a thorn in the side of senior management and the charity’s board as they batted away concerns over Stonewall’s continued relationship with arms dealers. 

When Eirnin Jefford Franks joined Stonewall in 2019, the charity’s continued relationship with arms dealers was already a “live issue” and they were “horrified” by what they found on arrival. When they left in 2022, this work was still going on. 

“I had a 1-2-1 meeting with the COO at the time, and I raised a number of concerns, broadly around race. Part of that was it felt inherently racist to work with arms dealers. What about the LGBTQ+ people who are being killed by the arms dealers we are working with?”

Ruth Walshe worked in the global team at Stonewall from January 2020 until November 2022. They said: “I don’t remember being aware of Stonewall’s partnership’s with arms dealers before I started, but it was clear that colleagues had already raised this issue multiple times. It was raised at all staff meetings, pretty much every time there was one. It was clearly an issue people were vocal about and felt passionately about.

“Throughout my three years at Stonewall, every single employee opposed our work with arms dealers. The staff themselves at Stonewall were fantastic, very committed to human rights, but the corporate culture was not good. 

“It was the top SLT and the board who felt this should continue, and in my opinion wanted to continue taking money and having as many big corporate connections as possible. SLT didn’t want to cede any ground.”

“There were multiple levels of backlash,” a current staff member told TFN. “Account managers were paid under £30,000, signing up for a job changing the world for queer people. Then they start and their clients are doing harm in the world. Immediately, it goes against what people are signing up for.

“People aren’t very happy about it. A lot of staff share similar politics, particularly on this issue. When we look widely at other charities, they have a red line - gambling, weapons etc. It’s not unusual. 

“Internally when staff work on this, we’re not saying don’t work with others. We are saying that at least Stonewall’s red line should be weapons. Most staff are aligned, but the difference is at SLT and board level. Even then, SLT are on board, and really where it has fallen has been the board overturning management decisions.

“The board’s reasoning was that LGBTQ+ people work anywhere, meaning that we’ll work everywhere. They also said that unless an organisation was implicated in an International Criminal Court (ICC) decision they will reconsider. 

“The ethical policy is meaningless. There is a caveat around the DCs programme. It’s all so absurd it may as well not be there.” 

Staff’s concerns were not dealt with sufficiently, and repeatedly raised again and again through reviews of of ethical policies, in all-staff meetings online - which later saw public comments turned off due to the consistent raising of Stonewall’s partnerships with weapons manufacturers - and in all-staff leaving emails, a common practice at Stonewall. Stonewall’s social media accounts have also now had comments turned off.

One former manager told TFN that two account managers who took the internal lead on fighting to change the ethical policy were “told off, nearly disciplined, constantly berated” and accused of “ruining culture and causing too much disruption”. 

“When people did want to make a difference, their lives were made hell,” one staff member said.  

“The turnover rate was appalling, and the only thing that kept people there was the fact, in many ways, we were building a queer community around us. There was a massive cultural divide between SLT and everyone else, particularly on respect, voice, and not being listened to - including when people were put in unsafe situations. 

“I think some of it got clouded because we knew there were redundancies coming, and people were worried about their employment, but there was definitely outcry and concern and talk about our work with arms dealers after October 7th.”

In one leaving email from March this year, shared with TFN, an account manager writes to all of their colleagues to say that “there has to be a limit” on who Stonewall work with, adding: “If it’s not genocide, I don’t know what is.”

“Like many of us, seeing what’s happening in Palestine at the moment is having a big impact on how I think about most things. I really hope the board decides we can stop working with BAE Systems and similar organisations. Failing that, I hope that staff continue to make strong arguments against working with them – you all give me faith in humanity!

“I’ve struggled to navigate the arms dealer stuff a lot in the last few months. It’s left me feeling quite icky and was a large part of why I decided I wanted to leave. No big corporate is unproblematic, and I think it’s important to work with organisations that we might disagree with. If you have a nagging feeling that it’s not right to do diversity and inclusion work with genocidal arms dealers, that’s because it’s not. Genocide is very much the antithesis of diversity and inclusion work.

“I think we owe so much more to the queer Palestinians… than we do to genocidal arms dealers looking to recruit LGBTQ+ graduates. I think it’s pretty amazing to get to work somewhere named after riots against state violence, and we should honour those origins when we’re deciding who passes our ethical policy.

“I’m grateful for loads of things I’ve experienced at Stonewall. I’m especially grateful for all the colleagues who have put loads of work into trying to make Stonewall better, and the colleagues who first educated me about our work with BAE.”

For those who have raised their concerns internally, that can be easier said than done. TFN has been made aware of at least one example of a staff member being forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) after raising the racism they observed in the workplace. TFN is also aware of at least two former staff who were forced to sign NDAs when leaving the organisation. 

The use of NDAs were said to have been used “famously”, with one ex-staffer saying: “You can tell it’s happening, people just disappear. You can claim it’s an organisational thing, but everyone knows what was going.”

Esme Duggleby left the charity sector after working at Stonewall for three years between 2017 and 2020. She started as one of Stonewall’s client account managers, but did not work directly with arms dealers despite being very aware of the charity’s relationship with weapons companies. 

She said most staff were uncomfortably aware of the role of BAE and others with Stonewall. “I learned quickly they were on the books and there was always a shady atmosphere around them at conferences. If there was nothing to say where someone worked - you knew it was an arms dealer, Mi5, or somewhere else. It was all very cloak and dagger. People would see them at events and act like it was normal to have them there.”

Esme, like others, wrote to the board internally, and raised the issue at regular all-staff meetings - but found any attempts blocked by the board. 

“I think that’s why it was so frustrating because you’d spend seven hours a day talking about equality law, whistleblowing, and the opposite was happening in our workplace,” she recalls. “Everything felt quite desperate, and it felt like we were leaning into the private, big corporate side and trying to get as much money as we could.”

Stonewall’s ethical policy

The charity’s ethical policy has come under significant and continued scrutiny in recent years, according to those who have worked at Stonewall in the past decade or so. One, who worked there for over three years in a management position, said there was never a time when the ethical policy - particularly work with weapons companies - was not up for discussion. 

They said: “From my beginning it was raised in various forms, with various organisations who were on a list of who staff didn’t want to work with. BAE especially was always the one spoken about. 

“There were various attempts at reforming the policy, but all ended with the same result - a senior leader who would face a struggle to get it through. We were then told we would work with them, and that was the focus - supporting queer people working there.”

TFN understands at least one pharmaceutical company was prevented from joining the Diversity Champions programme after the issue was raised with the board. Similar processes with arms dealers have been knocked back by Stonewall’s board. 

A working group at the charity continues to operate to update and improve Stonewall’s ethical policy - with an added impetus since the rampening up of attacks on Gaza in the past twelve months. 

However, previous reviews of the policy similarly fell on deaf ears. One staff member even told TFN that they were not allowed to put their name forward to be a part of working groups as they were “not neutral”, had “an agenda”, and it “wouldn’t be useful”. 

Ruth Walshe was one of those who worked on a review in their time at Stonewall, and escalated a complaint to board level after staff concerns were ignored. 

They said: “In mid-to-late 2020, they announced we’d be getting a new ethical policy - and that went through consultation with the staff. But these contributions - where we tried to red line things - were just ignored. 

“When it was finalised, we brought a joint ethical complaint about BAE and Raytheon. That complaint went through the whole process and we were told that they’d continue working with them and it was rejected by the board. We were told that in order to remove a Diversity Champion, it would have to be a board decision.”

Stonewall’s reticence to change or end its relationship with arms dealers is also at odds with other leading LGBTQ+ organisations. ILGA-Europe - an independent, international non-governmental umbrella organisation uniting over 700 organisations from 54 countries across Europe and Central Asia - is just one of those who have this as a red line. It refused an application from an LGBTQ+ organisation from Tel Aviv, because of what Israel is doing and how this is used to pinkwash. 

This fact was pointed to by one staff member at Stonewall who has repeatedly raised the issue of arms dealers with SLT and the board. 

“Other charities don’t behave in this way,” they said. “ILGA has a stance on this, they don’t work with such organisations, and continuously we see from Stonewall’s board making decisions behind closed doors. 

“What I’ve noticed over my years here, Stonewall’s board overreaches in its responsibility, no other board acts in this way. They should be there to make sure there is no reputational risk or damage, in good financial health. But day to day, that’s not what they should be involved in, and they repeatedly do.”

The latest review of Stonewall’s ethical policy ended last month, with the charity’s board deciding to continue with the current approach, and no red lines created to prevent further work with arms dealers. This decision, TFN understands, saw those board members with previous military and defence experience abstaining on the vote. 

Where now for Stonewall and the arms dealers? 

Complaints regarding Stonewall and its arms trade members have been raised with charity regulators. Complaints were submitted with the Charity Commission in 2023 - including by Stonewall staff members. The commission, though, said the decision was the charity’s to take.

A Charity Commission spokesperson confirmed these complaints had been received. 

They said: “We have previously received concerns about certain bodies which received advice from Stonewall in connection to its Diversity Champions work. After consideration and following earlier engagement with the trustees of Stonewall on the nature of its Diversity Champions programme, we determined that it was ultimately for the trustees to decide who it should provide best practice advice to in respect of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.”

Despite the stress caused to staff and the heightening tensions internally, many are still positive about Stonewall, the charity’s legacy, and the key work they do. But they are clear - reform is needed, and ending relationships with arms dealers must be the first step - along with a serious attempt to tackle the “institutional racism” that multiple staff, past and present, said runs through Stonewall. 

This racism is said to have worsened for staff who raised the continued relationship with arms dealers - an issue which was often raised by Jewish, Muslim and other staff of colour. 

One staff member told TFN: “One of the reasons people love Stonewall isn’t just the history, but also that we are the largest LGBTQ+ org in Europe. With that comes responsibility. When the Taliban took over in Afghanistan a couple of years ago, we were inundated with requests from queer Afghans. At that point, I don't think there was another LGBTQ+ org equipped to deal with that. But Stonewall has the ear of the government, and it meant we could meet that challenge of desperate people, providing safe passage via Pakistan, to the UK. 

“This is why Stonewall has an important place in the LGBTQ+ landscape, but also in the human rights landscape. It's that work that means people want to stay here. Our global team does vital work, so for many of us, we see lives being saved in the UK and abroad, but we are still working with weapons manufacturers who are creating the desperate conditions that people are needing to flee.

“We need to be reflective on how important Stonewall is. All of the campaigns, right from the beginning - from overturning section 28, to inclusive IVF healthcare, to trans inclusion, have been incredible. For many of us working at Stonewall, or on the ethical policy working group, we want Stonewall to be a better organisation. 

“I think this is just an issue that a lot of western charities have - they don’t see the connection between being a person of colour and having that connection to atrocities happening aboard. They see those as separate issues, but we are intricately connected to these issues, as our families have been affected by slavery or British colonialism, and that is something that white leaders or white, western organisations don’t understand. They see them as very separate, while we know that you can’t have the liberation of some without the liberation of all of us. 

“In terms of LGBTQ+ liberation in the first instance, we have seen how Israel pinkwash. As the tanks were going into Gaza, gay soldiers were raising the pride flag. They are using our community to pinkwash. Using Islamophobia in their pinkwashing to manufacture consent is one of the ways they do that, and Stonewall is part of that.”

Questions were also asked about who Stonewall now exists to represent - with a widespread feeling among current and former staff that the charity was more interested in “begging for a seat at the government’s table” than enacting radical policy. 

One former staff member said: “I don’t understand who their audience is now. They don’t care about the vulnerable community - homeless, undocumented or poor queers, or trans people who can’t access healthcare. They’ve just got this tiny slice of middle class, cis, white queers who are vaguely liberal and uncomfortable with transphobia, but not serious enough as they’d then do something about it.”

Ruth Walshe, who left the charity in late 2022, said the decision that must be taken by Stonewall is “incredibly simple”. 

“It’s a simple case of cutting ties - it should be a red line,” they said. “It’s what staff want, it’s what queer people want. It’s what other charities do. Many in this country turn down donations from sources they don’t align with. 

“A human rights charity shouldn’t be accepting money from companies directly complicit in genocide, or accepting money earned from killing people in other countries. That includes killing our queer siblings in other countries that Stonewall is fighting for, the murder of black and brown people. 

“There are queer people in Palestine being killed as a result of the bombs being dropped on them. It’s blood money, it’s incredibly simple - it’s not difficult to refuse to take that money.” 

Another former staff member, who said working with arms dealers proved a major factor in their decision to leave, agreed. 

“We need to be really honest with people that we are not as immune to propaganda as we are, especially when that plays on parts of your identity that make you feel vulnerable,” they said. “Queer people are manipulated into thinking Muslims, or brown people are the threat. I didn’t think that I bought that propaganda, but there is an element of me that does and it’s insidious. 

“When you are working somewhere where you admire, and respect, have done massive amounts for your community, but when they have arms dealers on the books, you start to lose your own internal moral compass quicker than I thought possible. 

“Arms manufacturers work with Stonewall as it is an incredibly effective way to normalise atrocities. An organisation like Stonewall -  that has been vilified in the press for being too woke - is perfectly placed to counteract BAE’s image in the way that they want. But when people you respect do nothing, you start to question it in some way. It sows just enough doubt in your mind, that even if you know what Stonewall is doing is wrong, you start to question this. You get convinced that it’s more complicated than you thought. I think it’s key to tell those in similar situations, you’ve not lost the plot, it’s fucked up. I’m not a person who is easily gaslit, but it is the right circumstances. 

“That’s why it has taken so long to come out and have people stand so firmly on it, as we should have in the first place. I am now sad to say I’m much more aware of how people collaborate and tolerate evil now. I’m really sorry to everyone who we’ve let down by being a part of this. This issue isn’t going to be the one which frees Palestine, but the contribution may be a lot bigger than we want to admit. It normalises. We can actually do quite a lot, or at least not make it worse.” 

But for other former staff, the rot goes deeper. Eirnin Jefford Frank said Stonewall “shouldn’t exist”, having “gutted everything” - including the “schools work and the trans-inclusion team”. 

They added: “I think I have an extreme or radical opinion: at this point, having witnessed what I have, I don’t think Stonewall has a place any more. I struggle to see what value they bring at this point in time.”

Esme Duggleby believes that the relationship with arms dealers isn’t simply an issue of ‘money corrupts’. She believes that the work with weapons manufacturers speaks to an ideological commitment by members of the board - who she believes should be replaced.  

“This is small money in the charity world,” she said. “It’s about the board, their beliefs, and their morals. It’s an ideological issue. 

“I’ve now left the industry completely. I’m a very political person, but working in an institution to try and change politics is maddening - the duality of it sends you insane. I think that I felt very much treated like I was hysterical, troublemaking, kicking off in every meeting. 

“I had tried raising in the proper channels, and they would act like I’m crazy, even when I used their system and it didn’t work. It made me jaded and disenchanted with the NGO sector, what they can achieve, and how useful Stonewall is for the LGBTQ+ movement.

“If it was about the money, they’d be trying to get all the public sector memberships back that were lost after pressure from transphobes. They’re using the money as an excuse, but there’s a much deeper thing happening because of their ties to the military. There were always battles to have, but it seems Stonewall has severely lurched to the military-right, defending genocide.”

Eirnin Jefford Franks put it simply: “I personally think that what radicalised me against Stonewall, was working at Stonewall.”

Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, L3 Harris, Airbus, and Collins Aerospace were approached for comment. 

BAE Systems told TFN it doesn't sell military equipment directly to Israel. However, war planes made by BAE continue to be used in Gaza, while BAE munitions, missile launching kits, and armoured vehicles have also been found to have been supplied by the Israeli military. BAE technologies are also integrated into Israel’s main weapon systems, including fighter jets, drones, and warships, the report said. 

A spokesperson for the manufacturer said: “Having a workplace where our employees can thrive, regardless of their sexuality, race, gender or background is vital for the success of our business. We work with a number of organisations, including Stonewall, to improve the experience of our LGBTQ+ community.

“Our industry plays a vital role in supporting the UK and its allies and we comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment.”

An AWE spokesperson said: “Diverse organisations perform more strongly and AWE has partnered with a number of external organisations, including Stonewall, as part of its people-centred EDI programme. 

“AWE regularly reviews all of its memberships and external partnerships to ensure that they are in line with our inclusion ambitions, using employee experience and insight to ensure that colleagues and potential colleagues are able to thrive in their chosen careers.”

A Stonewall Spokesperson said: “Stonewall helps over 600 organisations to support their LGBTQ+ colleagues. All LGBTQ+ people deserve inclusive workplaces, regardless of who their chosen employer is. We hear people’s concerns about some of the organisations we help with their diversity work through training and service provision.

“Advocacy has always come in many forms and there are many legitimate ways to try and achieve change, including through direct action. Stonewall is committed to having an open dialogue with those that both agree and disagree with us across a wide range of issues and will always strive to work alongside groups across the LGBTQ+ sector to advance equality for all LGBTQ+ people.”