National Trust members are set to vote on whether or not the charity should ban “unaccountable, divisive and virtue signalling” Pride events.
The charity and membership organisation, which is responsible for the likes of Speke Hall, The Hardman’s House and The Beatles’ childhood homes, are hosting their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, November 5. This year members are being asked to vote on a resolution which is calling for the National Trust's participation in Pride events to be banned.
The resolution reads: “Be it resolved that this AGM deplores participation by the National Trust in gay pride parades as divisive and an unaccountable waste of members’ subscriptions.”
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Despite the organisation having almost six million members, resolutions for its AGM can be put forward with the support of just 50 members. Five of the charity’s members proposed the resolution before it was supported by the other required 45 members. The views expressed in the resolution are those of the proposers.
The supporting statement, published in the AGM booklet, added: “The National Trust took part in the Birmingham Gay Pride event in 2019. In a letter to the proposer, the Director-General admitted no account was kept of the expenditure nor of any resulting subscription revenue. The participation was unaccountable, divisive and an exercise in virtue signalling. It was unbecoming in a body which should be dedicated to preserving the nation’s heritage for all and being a faithful steward of its members’ subscriptions.”
The charity’s Board of Trustees has said the “resolution runs counter” to their ethos and claims there was no separate budget for Pride. They also insist that the founders “created the National Trust to promote the preservation of places of historic interest and natural beauty for the benefit of the nation”, meaning that the National Trust “is for everyone and welcomes all visitors, staff and volunteers”. Similar to many other employers, the charity wants to “foster a culture of understanding and respect” and that is why they also "support many other events each year" including Black History Month and Mental Health Awareness Week.
The Board of Trustees added: “Pride promotes and celebrates LGBTQ+ rights across the globe. The Trust has been supporting participation in Pride for many years. This includes enabling staff and volunteers to take part in celebrations, running virtual events and sharing information. The National Trust’s role is to protect and promote everyone’s heritage, of which LGBTQ+ history is an important part.”
Despite being against the resolution, the National Trust’s board of trustees ultimately has no control over whether the resolution goes ahead or not.
A spokesperson for the National Trust told the ECHO : “The National Trust was founded for the benefit of everyone. We serve the whole of our diverse society and we want to do that to the very best of our ability. This includes supporting our staff, volunteers and visitors to participate in cultural celebrations including Pride, which they have been doing for many years.
“The AGM and resolutions process is a critical part of our governance and importantly, it allows our members to vote on issues that matter to them. This resolution does not align with our values and it runs counter to our ethos. We urge our members to vote against this resolution and to help us keep the culture of understanding and respect that we are dedicated to fostering at the National Trust. We fully support our staff, volunteers and visitors being able to take part in celebrations of LGBTQ+ society and history, including Pride.”
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