27th June 2025

Sent by email to all members

Dear Committee Members,

An open letter to the Women and Equalities Committee

I write to you as the Chair of FFLAG, to raise serious concerns about the recently announced preferred candidate, Dr. Mary-Ann Stephenson, as Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to succeed Baroness Falkner. At a time when the EHRC must actively work to rebuild public trust, particularly among LGBT+ communities, it is essential that its leadership is beyond reproach in its commitment to human rights for all, without partiality or prejudice, and we do not believe that is the case with Dr Stephenson.

At FFLAG we play a unique and distinctive role as the longest established UK charity devoted specifically to supporting parents and carers of LGBT+ children and we believe that gives us a valuable perspective to share as we work towards what is clearly a common goal with you — that LGBT+ individuals are treated with respect and are able to live with dignity, free from hate and discrimination.

The EHRC’s credibility has been under intense scrutiny in recent years, especially in relation to its approach to transgender rights. These issues are not abstract; they directly impact the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our society and their actions have caused distress and alarm to our parents and their children. The Chair of the EHRC must therefore reflect not only technical competence and independence, but also a demonstrable commitment to upholding and advancing inclusive equality. Dr. Stephenson’s record, however, raises serious concerns:

As Director of the Women’s Budget Group, she authored the organisation’s 2018 response to proposed reforms of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA), inwhich the Group argued that reform should allow for the continued exclusion of trans people from single-sex services and spaces (WBG GRA Response, 2018).
Stephenson is listed in Sex Matters’ submission to the Law Commission, cited in point 106 of their response (Sex Matters, 2021), a group known for advocating against the legal recognition and protection of trans identities.
She was a previous Director of the Fawcett Society, an organisation whose current CEO has published materials that critics have described as framing trans rights as incompatible with women’s rights (Fawcett Society Blog, 2020). The institutional legacy and ideological direction during and after her tenure are important considerations when evaluating the broader implications of her leadership ethos.
Stephenson’s engagement with FiLiA, a group known for its exclusion of trans and non-binary voices to the concern of the National Education Union’s LGBT+ Organising Forum, which called attention to FiLiA’s rejection of inclusive feminism in an open letter (NEU LGBT+ Forum, 2022).

Taken together, this evidence does not reflect a record of neutrality or broad-based support for trans equality. Rather, it suggests a history of alignment with organisations and narratives that have contributed to the marginalisation of trans people in the UK. While individuals may change their views, there has been no public clarification or repudiation from Dr. Stephenson to suggest that she has reconsidered or rejected these past positions.

Appointing a Chair with such a contested record risks deepening existing divides and further damaging the EHRC’s standing among LGBT+ individuals and allies at precisely the moment when strong, inclusive leadership is most needed.

On behalf of our concerned parents and families I respectfully urge this committee to scrutinise this proposed appointment extremely carefully and ensure that the EHRC’s next Chair is someone whose values, experience, and public record reflect the Commission’s mission to uphold equality and human rights for everyone.

I look forward to receiving your response to our request.

Yours sincerely

Sarah Furley

Chair

You can see the PDF version here Open letter to the Women and Equalities Committee