In the 19th century there was a view of history called the Wigish view of history and the idea behind it was that the story of history was towards constant enlightenment towards against authoritarianism towards ever greater freedom. Now that view of history should have been discredited by the events of the 20th century but it often persists.

And there were striking examples of why that's wrong and one of them is what's currently happening to LGBTQ people in Britain because for a long time the narrative was that LGBTQ people having suffered huge amounts of persecution, bigotry and discrimination.

Suddenly because of changes to the law and so on had legal emancipation and were heading towards a society in which they would be accepted for who they are.

In the last few years an anti trans moral panic which is increasingly gripped the British media and large sues of the political elite underlines just how precarious those rights or that supposed image of ever greater freedom for LGBTQ people has become an anti moral panic deliberately whipped up by almost the entire British media targeting one of the most marginalized minorities in the country.

Now Stonewall is Britain's main LGBTQ civil rights organization it's the oldest LGBTQ charity in Europe and it was set up in order to fight for the rights of LGBTQ people whether it be changing the law to ensure a legal framework that supports rather than discriminating against LGBTQ people to make institutions LGBTQ friendly given the level or systemic discrimination LGBTQ people face at risk.

It's a work to defend LGBTQ refugees deported to countries in which their very existence is illegal to fight the bullying of young LGBTQ people in schools that bullying which has devastating life long consequences for LGBTQ people with the mental distress that they will suffer for the rest of their lives this work is absolutely instrumental to the lives of LGBTQ people in Britain.

And yet at a time when anti gay hate crimes have trebled in the last few years and anti trans hate crimes have quadrupled the main LGBTQ civil rights movement is now under a systematic and wide ranging attack from all corners of the British media and much of the British establishment.

Being vilified as an as an extremist organization with which is somehow a fifth column within institutions having a devastating impact with a pernicious influence that needs to be rolled back.

Now the anti trans moral panic as I've said is something which has gripped this country for the last few years but is escalating in a frightening way.

The reality of trans people's existence brushed out of existence, whether it be the one and eight trans employees who are physically attacked by a colleague or customer within a space of 12 months, the half of trans people who hide their identity for fear of discrimination, the quarter of trans people who suffered homelessness, the two in five trans people in the three in 10 non binary people who suffered a hate crime incident because of their gender identity within a 12 month period.

Those born in four trans people who've attempted to take their own lives, nine in 10 who thought about it, whether it be the 65% within a year who report being discriminated against or harassed because of being perceived as trans, whether it be the waiting lists, the hospital waiting, the NHS waiting list that trans people are stuck on for years against the narrative based entirely on lies which suggests young people are being deliberately trans.

Because they're gender non-conforming, all of these realities are air-bushed out of existence and instead trans people are portrayed just as gay people will on portrayed as threats to children, as defying the laws of biology for being predators, brainwashing kids and so on, whether it be that, you know, why should the majority have to change this tiny minority portrayed as being mental deviance, be portrayed as being a threat to children, as defying the laws of biology for being predators, brainwashing kids and so on.

Whether it be that, you know, why should the majority have to change this tiny minority portrayed as being mental deviance, be portrayed as being a fetish, all of the same talking points which were used against gay people, the same tunes now being sung not just by self described right wingers but by people who call themselves liberal and indeed left wing.

And the consequences of this for trans people is utterly devastating so that's why we're talking about the attack on Stonewall today because it is the main LGBTQ civil rights organization seen as entirely mainstream for so many years and now beyond the pale and what is the impact of that what is the actual truth about what Stonewall does what's the reality now facing particularly trans people is this also is and it must be said it is the focus on trans people that has to be emphasized.

But is it ricocheting and now risking LGBT people more generally we've got two brilliant guests to talk about that before I bring them in just again housekeeping is ever for those who are supporting us you make all of this possible the documentaries we're doing like a toy conference at labor conference the documentary we've got coming up about wealth and power in Britain.

Huge amounts of time resources and money but you make it possible for our team on union wages support us on page and dot com for slash own Jones 84 will do far more documentaries we've got loads of interviews and shows which you make possible as well with that said and done I'm now going to bring in our first absolutely fantastic guest who is Juno Dawson let's bring in Juno one second here we go Juno it's a big big honor to have you here.

Thank you for having me how are you all right I know why it's always good to have a fellow northerner oh yeah you're right you're right although I live in Brighton now since I'm an honorary southerner I think but well I'm now a plastic northerner having sold out my my northern credentials now Juno for those who don't know is a brilliant author but just so many hats which we could just quickly go through so for example which are particularly relevant but be by the way by in fact

in fact stay another day is coming has come out this week this week really sweet care thank you so there's a brilliant brilliant book every and Juno is a really commended and brilliantly reviewed author so do screenwriter acts as well does a podcast columnist attitude role model for stone wool so many many things just to begin with just for those who most people watching will be six and for those who don't know what that means it means your gender identity.

So they won't understand at all they can try to understand but they won't ever none of us will fully understand what it's like being trans at time like this do you just tell us as a trans person what it's like your existence being debated every day trans people almost entirely spoken about negatively what impact does that have on trans people at the moment.

Yeah I mean I'll profess that by saying that I'm amongst the most privileged trans people in the United Kingdom in that I'm a hermana and I have a really stable career and I'm married and I find the discourse really anxiety making and and of course bear in mind that trans people are all so dealing with climate change and the pandemic and crazy petrol shot isn't everything else that happens to cis people trans people dealing with those things plus transfer.

And I think the only way I can really describe it is just at the moment a constant dread and a real sense of what will each day bring and a sense of just being very maligned and misrepresented and just very misunderstood and it's endlessly frustrating but you know like I said I'm not dealing with homelessness I'm not dealing with a three or four year waitlist because I started my treatment in like 2015.

So it's kind of you know it's really worrying and if I'm worried then how do homeless trans people or trans people without HIV you know how did those people feel right now and I just I dread to think it's a deeply unpleasant time and like you said it's very reminiscent of the 90s you know I'm deceptively elderly and I remember working in a fish and chip shop and back in the days when you still use to wrap fish and chips and use paper and you know you know you're not dealing with that.

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