The newly appointed chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, has addressed criticism of her past associations, urging trans people to assess her by her actions in the role. In her first interview since taking over from Baroness Kishwer Falkner in December, Dr Stephenson emphasised her commitment to upholding the rights of everyone.

Her appointment, confirmed by the government last July, drew concern from several LGBTQ+ rights organisations. These groups highlighted her past engagement with 'gender-critical' activists, including a 2022 donation to a legal fund for LGB Alliance founder Allison Bailey. They also pointed to her signature on two open letters from 2017 and 2018, which they argued were at odds with full inclusivity for trans people.

When questioned by the PA news agency about this record, Dr Stephenson defended the letters, stating they had been "really widely mischaracterised as kind of anti-trans letters". She explained that her concern at the time was for "women who had been harassed or sometimes lost their jobs for the expression of legally protected views" during a public debate on gender recognition law reform.

Addressing those with concerns directly, she said: "I would say, you know, judge me on what I do. I am really keen, I think it’s really important for the chair of the EHRC to uphold the rights of everybody across all protected characteristics."

Organisations including Stonewall, Galop, and TransActual had previously signed an open letter objecting to her appointment. While acknowledging her "impressive track record" in equality law, they argued her previous actions raised doubts about her commitment to protecting all groups equally.