FOI release
Political Activism
Case reference FOI2025/01001
Received 8 September 2025
Published 21 October 2025
Request
Additionally, given these concerns, I am requesting access to: FOIA -Copies of any Equality Impact Assessments conducted for events between 2020 and 2025 that refer to Pride or any LGBTQ+ involvement. -Any training materials or internal memos provided to staff regarding the protection of gender-critical beliefs post-Forstater. Your current job application form (or screenshots of it if it is electronic), including any questions regarding protected characteristics and special category data (and the response options if it is electronic Please explain: -The legal authority you claim for collecting data on a non-statutory term (Transgender status or gender identity). Who approved the inclusion of this category. -What legal guidance was followed in developing it Please explain your relationship to Stonewall Please explain: -The legal authority you claim for collecting data on non-statutory terms (gender, other personal circumstances -Who approved the inclusion of these categories. -What legal guidance was followed in developing them Please explain: -The legal authority you claim for collecting data on a non-statutory term (other). Who approved the inclusion of this category. – -What legal guidance was followed in developing Why are you asking in two different places on the same form about the protected characteristic disability? How are you handling this data in accordance with your legal obligations, if you're collecting it in two different places? What if an applicant gives conflicting responses to each? Again, “Ethnic origin” is a subset of the race protected characteristic — not a separate protected characteristic. Why have you listed it? Please explain: -The legal authority you claim for collecting data on a non-statutory term (other). As above -Who approved the inclusion of this category. -What legal guidance was followed in developing it. Religion/faith is not a protected characteristic. Why have you listed it? Why didn't you simply copy and paste the information from the legislation? -Whether your staff have all been trained on the legally protected gender critical belief. Gender is not a protected characteristic, neither is height, neither is background. Why have you listed them? Are you training your staff on the Equality Act 2010? , can you share the Equality Impact Assessment you conducted before endorsing a "LGBT+ equality support group"? Please explain: -Who approved the inclusion of this category -What legal guidance was followed in developing it. can you explain why no gender critical groups have partnered with you on the togetherness strategy? Did you invite them to? can you explain why no groups advocating for women’s sex-based rights have partnered with you on the togetherness strategy? Did you invite them to Can you share the Equality Impact Assessment you conducted before drafting the togetherness strategy, knowing so many groups with protected characteristics were excluded Please explain: -Who approved the exclusion of groups with protected characteristics from partnering on the togetherness strategy. -What legal guidance was followed in developing the togetherness strategy "Authorities should take care to undertake their assessment by reference to the protected characteristics set out in the act. They should not use concepts such as gender or gender identity, which are not encoded in the act and can be understood in different ways." Please explain: -The legal authority you claim for collecting data on a non-statutory term (gender identity Who approved the inclusion of this category. -What legal guidance was followed in developing it Please explain: -The legal authority you claim for collecting data on non-statutory terms (older people, people who come from ethnically diverse backgrounds, especially those who (NB the spelling error) second language is English). As above -Who approved the inclusion of this category. -What legal guidance was followed in developing it Please explain: -The legal authority you claim for collecting data on non-statutory terms (gender identity, YQ+, T, trans). -Who approved the inclusion of these categories. -What legal guidance was followed in developing them. Additionally, as already mentioned, many in the LGB community do not want to be included within the LGBT+ umbrella, as their needs and concerns are different from those of other groups in the acronym. Mindful sexual orientation is a protected characteristic, and LGB people make up two (homosexuality, bisexuality) of the three sexualities it covers, can you explain which LGB groups you consulted with leading to your claims highlighted in red? Gender is not a protected characteristic. Why have you listed it? Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups is not a protected characteristic. Why have you listed it? LGBT is not a protected characteristic. Why have you listed it? What does regardless of any protected characteristics mean? How should the public make sense of it? You have a legal obligation to take great concern about the protected characteristics. The public expects you to take your legal obligations seriously. Yet, here you've declared you're disregarded them. Why? Please explain: -The legal authority you claim for collecting data on non-statutory terms (gender, Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, LGBT). -Who approved the inclusion of these categories. -What legal guidance was followed in developing them. -Who approved the disregard for your obligations under the Equality Act 2010 relating to the protected characteristics I would also like clarification on whether your service has undertaken similar public displays of support for groups with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. For example · LGB Individuals: Many in the LGB community do not want to be included within the LGBTQ+ umbrella, as their needs and concerns are different from those of other groups in the acronym. Has your service taken any public steps to specifically support LGB individuals Can you provide any social media posts, webpages pledging allegiance, or other declarations of support for LGB people who do not want to be included within the LGBTQ+ acronym · Gender-Critical/ Sex-Realist Beliefs: Could you detail any public actions taken by your service in support of individuals with such beliefs, including social media posts, webpage pledges of support, or other declarations of support · People with Disabilities: Can you provide any examples of similar public support for people with disabilities? Please include any relevant social media posts, webpages pledging allegiance, or other declarations of support for disabled people. · Age Discrimination: Has your service undertaken any specific public actions to address or support individuals facing age discrimination? Please provide any corresponding social media posts, webpages pledging allegiance, or other declarations in support of this group.
Response
Please see the response in the link below.
Documents
This is London Fire Brigade's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.