Repeal of LGBT military ban (2000)

One of Stonewall's first and longest campaigns challenged the ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the armed forces. The campaign began when Robert Ely, who had served in the British Army for 17 years, and former Army Nurse Elaine Chambers approached Stonewall. The discovery of a letter had led to Ely's sexual orientation being disclosed and he was subjected to an investigation and discharged from the army ^[14] . In 1998, Stonewall was approached by Jeanette Smith, who had been discharged from the Royal Air Force, and Duncan Lustig Prean, a Royal Navy commander who was being so discharged from the Navy. They asked Stonewall to arrange legal representation, leading to a long battle through the courts with Graham Grady and John Beckett also joining the case.

The case pre-dated the Human Rights Act 1998. Although the judges in the High Court and Court of Appeal said that they felt the ban was not justified they could not overturn it and the individuals had to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights where they were successful. The judgment of the court was a vindication of the rights of lesbians and gay men and the New Labour government of the time immediately announced that the ban would be lifted. This took effect on 12 January 2000, and a new general code of sexual conduct was introduced. ^[15] While the internal policy had changed in 2000, the law banning homosexuality in the armed forces was not repealed until the 2016 Armed Forces Act.

In February 2005, the Royal Navy joined Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme, ^[16] the Royal Air Force ^[17] and the British Army, the largest of the three services in June 2008. ^[18] The number of major employers involved in the programme grew from 100 members in 2005 to over 600 in 2010. ^[19]

Diversity Champions Programme (2001-2025)

In 2001, Stonewall launched its Diversity Champions programme, a programme which worked with over 900 organisations to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (the LGBTQ+ community) were comfortable in the workplace. ^[20] This included addressing outright discrimination, as well as "more discrete" forms of heterosexist thinking. ^[21]

Employers who paid to join the scheme ^[22] were given a logo to use on promotional materials and were listed on a 'Proud Employers' careers site. They gained access to a library of resources and could have their policies reviewed for LGBT inclusivity by Stonewall staff. ^{[23] [24]}

European Court of Human Rights

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Under Angela Mason, Stonewall became the most influential LGBTQ+lobbying organisation in Britain. Mason's tenure saw Stonewall support legal test cases in the European Court of Human Rights which included:

• Chris Morris and Euan Sutherland, who in Sutherland v United Kingdom successfully challenged the unequal age of consent laws. ^[25]
• Duncan Lustig-Prean and John Beckett, who successfully challenged the ban on gay people in the armed forces. ^[26]
• Lisa Grant, who (unsuccessfully) sued her employer, South West Trains, for equal pay and benefits. ^[27]

Legislative achievements in this period or arising from Mason's work include:

• amendments to the 2002 Adoption and Children Bill, which treated lesbian, gay and bisexual couples in the same way as heterosexuals.
• Equalisation of the age of consent to 16 years old, as part of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, after the use of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, in November 2000.
• repeal of Clause 2a of the Local Government Act in Scotland (2000).
• repeal Section 28 of the Local Government Act in England and Wales (2003).
• recognition of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes through the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
• introduction of the Civil Partnership Act 2004, which gave same-sex couples a legal framework equivalent to civil marriage.

Parliamentary campaigns

Stonewall's UK parliamentary campaigning has included:

• shaping the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations, protections against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services secured through the Equality Act 2006.
• equalising treatment of lesbian parents and their children in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008
• introducing an offence of incitement to homophobic hatred in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, matching existing protections around race and religion.

In 2005, Stonewall launched an Education for All programme, supported by a coalition of over 70 organisations, to tackle homophobia in schools. ^[28] Stonewall's education work also included the slogan 'Some people are gay. Get over it!' which was devised by school children in Britain. ^{[28] [29]}

Same-sex marriage (2010)

Stonewall, under the leadership of Ben Summerskill, announced in October 2010 its support for same-sex marriage, ^[30] which came into law in 2013.

Asexual rights (2022)

In 2022, on the second annual International Asexuality Day, Stonewall launched the UK's first asexual rights initiative in partnership with asexual model and activist Yasmin Benoit. ^[31]

Proud Employers (2025)

In July 2025, Stonewall launched a new, three-year strategy and a workplace inclusion programme, Proud Employers. ^[32]

Banning Conversion Practices (2021)

In November 2021, Kelley spoke alongside gender critical barrister Naomi Cunningham and evangelical Christian campaigner Jayne Ozanne in a discussion on "Banning Conversion Practices: The Path to Good Law" during an event organised by the Middle Temple LGBTQ+ Forum. ^[33]