Angela Mason
Encyclopedia
Angela Margaret Mason CBE (born 9 August 1944) is a British
civil servant and activist, and a former director of the UK-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lobbying organisation Stonewall
. She is currently the Chair of the Fawcett Society
, a UK women's rights campaigning organisation and a Labour Party
councillor in Camden
.
in Buckinghamshire
, she grew up on the Isle of Sheppey
and was educated at Basingstoke High School, Bedford College, University of London, and the London School of Economics
. She was an early member of the Gay Liberation Front
in the UK.
officials. She was one of the four accused who was acquitted following a long and still controversial trial. Mason still refuses to discuss the trial in interviews today.
Mason was an activist in the trade union
and radical movements.
for the London Borough of Camden
. She became a member of gay rights organisation Stonewall
in 1989, becoming its director in 1992.
, now the Government Equalities Office
, with her high salary attracting media attention. Mason has also been a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission
and an advisor to the Mayor of London
, Ken Livingstone
. Controversially she used her position as a senior civil servant to oppose one measure of legislative equality for gay people - protections against discrimination in the delivery of public and commercial services - in 2005 and 2006. She was, however, unsuccessful and the measure was passed in the Equality Act 2006
. She was awarded the OBE in 1999 and promoted to CBE in 2007.
Since 2007 she has been an advisor to IDeA, a government quango
which provides guidelines and regulations for all local authorities in England
on equality issues. She was also appointed as Chair of the feminist group the Fawcett Society
in the same year.
In 2010, she was elected as a Labour
councillor to Camden London Borough Council
; she represents the borough's Cantelowes ward. She served as Deputy Leader of the borough council, and cabinet member for sustainability but was dismissed from the roles in May 2011.
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
civil servant and activist, and a former director of the UK-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lobbying organisation Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
. She is currently the Chair of the Fawcett Society
Fawcett Society
The Fawcett Society is an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigns for women's rights. The organisation's roots date back to 1866 when Millicent Garrett Fawcett dedicated her life to the peaceful campaign for women's suffrage....
, a UK women's rights campaigning organisation and a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillor in Camden
Camden
- Australia :* Camden, New South Wales** Camden Council ** Electoral district of Camden- England :* London Borough of Camden** Camden Town, an area in the borough* Camden School for Girls- United States :* Camden, Alabama* Camden, Arkansas...
.
Early life
Born Angela Margaret Weir in High WycombeHigh Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, she grew up on the Isle of Sheppey
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
and was educated at Basingstoke High School, Bedford College, University of London, and the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. She was an early member of the Gay Liberation Front
Gay Liberation Front
Gay Liberation Front was the name of a number of Gay Liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots, in which police clashed with gay demonstrators.-The Gay Liberation Front:...
in the UK.
Terrorism charges
During the late 1960s and early 1970s Mason was a supporter of the Angry Brigade terrorist group. She was one of the Stoke Newington Eight charged with planting or sending bombs which aimed to maim or kill government Ministers, their families and Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
officials. She was one of the four accused who was acquitted following a long and still controversial trial. Mason still refuses to discuss the trial in interviews today.
Mason was an activist in the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
and radical movements.
Career after Angry Brigade
Mason became a lecturer at the LSE then the Principal SolicitorSolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
for the London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
. She became a member of gay rights organisation Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
in 1989, becoming its director in 1992.
In government
From 2003 to 2007 she was the director of the UK government's Women and Equality Unit quangoQuango
Quango or qango is an acronym used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere to label an organisation to which government has devolved power...
, now the Government Equalities Office
Government Equalities Office
The Government Equalities Office is a United Kingdom government department. It was created in October 2007 when the Women and Equality Unit, based within the Department for Communities and Local Government was converted into an independent department.It has lead responsibility for gender equality...
, with her high salary attracting media attention. Mason has also been a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission
Equal Opportunities Commission
The Equal Opportunities Commission was an independent non-departmental public body, in the United Kingdom, which tackled sex discrimination and promoted gender equality...
and an advisor to the Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
, Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
. Controversially she used her position as a senior civil servant to oppose one measure of legislative equality for gay people - protections against discrimination in the delivery of public and commercial services - in 2005 and 2006. She was, however, unsuccessful and the measure was passed in the Equality Act 2006
Equality Act 2006
The Equality Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom covering the United Kingdom. The 2006 Act is a precursor to the Equality Act 2010, which combines all of the equality enactments within Great Britain and provide comparable protections across all equality strands...
. She was awarded the OBE in 1999 and promoted to CBE in 2007.
Since 2007 she has been an advisor to IDeA, a government quango
Quango
Quango or qango is an acronym used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere to label an organisation to which government has devolved power...
which provides guidelines and regulations for all local authorities in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on equality issues. She was also appointed as Chair of the feminist group the Fawcett Society
Fawcett Society
The Fawcett Society is an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigns for women's rights. The organisation's roots date back to 1866 when Millicent Garrett Fawcett dedicated her life to the peaceful campaign for women's suffrage....
in the same year.
In 2010, she was elected as a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillor to Camden London Borough Council
Camden London Borough Council
Camden London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Camden in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London...
; she represents the borough's Cantelowes ward. She served as Deputy Leader of the borough council, and cabinet member for sustainability but was dismissed from the roles in May 2011.
Personal life
Mason married scriptwriter William Mason in 1971, they divorced in 1980 with Mason retaining her married surname. She is in a Civil Partnership with Marxist academic Elizabeth Wilson and has a daughter who was conceived by artificial inseminationArtificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
.
Later life
- The archives of Angela Mason and Elizabeth Wilson are held at The Women's Library at London Metropolitan UniversityLondon Metropolitan UniversityLondon Metropolitan University , located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of the University of North London and the London Guildhall University . The University has campuses in the City of London and in the London Borough of Islington.The University operates its...
, ref 7EAW.
See also
- The Angry BrigadeThe Angry BrigadeThe Angry Brigade was a small British militant group responsible for a series of bomb attacks in Britain between 1970 and 1972.-History:During the summer of 1968 there were a number of demonstrations in London against the American involvement in the Vietnam War, centred on the American Embassy in...
- Stonewall (UK)Stonewall (UK)Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...