The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has abandoned ties with Stonewall after the 2021 census ‘significantly overestimated’ the transgender population.
According to Freedom of Information (FOI) responses, the ONS collaborated with Stonewall on the census question: “Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?”. When it was revealed that the question may have confused respondents whose first language was not English it became the first census data to ever be downgraded.
The ONS had been part of Stonewall’s controversial ‘Diversity Champions’ scheme since 2006, which rewards employers for promoting LGBT ideology inside and outside of the workplace.
‘Absurd results’
According to ONS documents, the independent producer of national statistics met Stonewall representatives 31 times between 2018 and 2025, in addition to meetings with trans activists from the groups Gendered Intelligence and the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES).
In a 2018 meeting involving Stonewall and GIRES, some attendees reportedly argued that the census’ gender identity question “could be asked of those aged two and above”. Department for Education officials also claimed there was “clear justification for asking the question to those under 16”.
Professor Michael Biggs of Oxford University commented: “These findings show how ONS was unduly influenced by Stonewall, an outside lobby group advancing a contested political ideology.
“This influence helps explain why the transgender question in the 2021 Census of England and Wales was so poorly formulated that many people answered incorrectly – leading to absurd results such as 1 in 67 Muslims being transgender. Taxpayers fund ONS to collect reliable statistics, not to promote niche political causes.”
Divisive
Last year, the Royal College of Psychiatrists was one of a number of high profile organisations to distance itself from the divisive lobby group.
Earlier in the year it was revealed that Sport England, the Scottish Parliament and Arts Council England all decided to cancel their membership of Stonewall’s diversity scheme.
A number of other tax-funded organisations – including the Crown Prosecution Service, the Government Equalities Office, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission – have also ended their relationship with Stonewall.
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