Dear Simon,

We—your community members and stakeholders —are writing to you about Stonewall's continued relationships with arms companies. It is unacceptable that Stonewall is working with BAE Systems, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and L3Harris, four of the world's biggest arms manufacturers.

All of these companies are deeply complicit in Israel's genocide on Gaza. BAE Systems and L3Harris manufacture components for F-35 fighter jets, which are horrifyingly known as the “deadliest” aircraft in the world. These jets have laid waste to Gaza and carpet bombed Lebanon. Raytheon and Northrop Grumman supply Israel with a wide variety of weapons, including missiles, missile systems and more parts for fighter jets. All four companies are profiting from the Israeli war machine, and from an unfathomable amount of death and destruction around the world.

By celebrating these companies as queer-inclusive workplaces, Stonewall is co-opting the queer struggle for liberation to help launder the image of arms manufacturers. Queer people facilitating genocide is nothing to celebrate. It's disgraceful. 

Stonewall is failing to live up to the radical promise of its name. Stonewall is also failing to listen to its own staff members, who we know have been speaking up internally about this issue since at least 2017.

We have three demands:

1. Immediately end relationships with BAE Systems, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and L3Harris.

2. Immediately end relationships with any other arms manufacturers.

3. Develop a transparent and public ethical partnership policy that includes a commitment to stop working with arms manufacturers in future. 

We want to see a Stonewall that our community can be proud of: an organisation whose work we can be confident will advance our rights, without contributing to the oppression of our siblings in Palestine, Lebanon and beyond.

We hope that you will listen to our voices—the voices of your own community. 

From

Queers For Palestine​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

Endorsed by:

 

2cPerrea

Ad'iyah

Adonis

Art Club

ACT UP London

Baxsan Collective

Bender Defenders

Bent Bars

Birmingham Queers for Palestine

Biscuit

Black Obsidian Soundsystem 

Blxckstage

Bournemouth Community Pride

Brighton and Hove Unite

Brighton Queers for Palestine

Bristol Queers for Palestine

Butch Lineages

Butch Revival

Byenary

Camp Trans

Catnip

Culture Workers Against Genocide

Christians for Palestine

The Common Press

Cymru Queers for Palestine

Dalston Superstore

Decrim Now

DIY Pride Reading

Dope Black Queers

Dogmouth Theatre

Dogs and their Dykes

Dopo

Doulas Decolonising

Drag Down the Borders

Dyke Collective Brighton

Dyke March London

Dykes on Mics

The Dyke Project

Elias Jahshan (editor, This Arab Is Queer)

Empty Chair Collective

English Collective of Prostitutes

Excuse my Beauty

Fag Revolt

F*Choir

Finding a Voice

FORT

Fossil Free Pride

Friends of the Joiners Arms

Gendered Intelligence Staff Union

Glasgow No Pride in Genocide

Glass Closet Events

Hardcore Rave Therapy

Hidayah

Hot and Bothered

I. Jordan

Imaan LGBTQI+

Inferno

The LAD Fund

La Camionera

Lesbians Support Palestine

Lez Reads Cardiff

Little Gay Brother

Liverpool Sisterhood

Manchester No Pride in Genocide

MegaWavy

Meringue Queer Party

Misery Party

MMU LGBTQ+ Society

Nachtlicker

NAFS

Naz and Matt Foundation

Neurotica

Notts Queer Pride

One Foot in the Rave

Open Barbers

Opia

The Oozes

Otherness Archive

The Outside Project

Our House

Panic at the Drag Show

Paper Surgery

Pecs Education

Pink Noise Notts

Prism LGBTQ+

Plastyk

The PRIDE Library

Pxssy Palace

Queens of Peckham

Queer Ballers

Queer Boots

Queer Circle

Queer Diary

Queer House Party

Queer Night Pride

Queer Space FC

Queer Swap

Queer Youth Art Collective

Queer Strike

Queers in Palestine

RATS

Ravers for Palestine

Riot

Riposte

Rhythms of Resistance Hackney

Reading Queers for Palestine

RS21

Safe Only

Sarabamba

Sisters Uncut

Skate Gals and Pals

SOAS Queer Soc

Solidarity Detainee Support

S.P.A.F. Collective

SWARM

T4Tunes

T-Boys Club

T-Climbing

Temporary Cruising Zone

The Chateau

The Oozes

Thorn

Trans Actual

Trans Fem Social

Trans Kids Deserve Better

Trans Legal Clinic

Trans Liberation Bournemouth 

Transmissions

Trans Pride Birmingham

Trans Pride Cardiff

Trans+ Pride London

Trans Sauna

TranxPire

Treacles

Twin Cherries Club

Uhaul Dyke Rescue

Unskinny Bop

WET

XR for Palestine

Youth Front for Palestine