Equality and Inclusion – Public Services Agenda for Lesbians & Gay Men – Inclusion in our Leisure

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Conference
2002 National Lesbian & Gay Conference
Date
31 July 2002
Decision
Carried as Amended

Conference notes that UNISON published a statement in June 2001 relating to Leisure Services for Lesbians and Gay Men. This statement made clear that:

“UNISON believes the local administration of arts, sport and leisure can make an enormous difference to lesbians and gay men. Organised on the basis of inclusiveness, it can support lesbians and gay men themselves and help break down prejudicial barriers by educating others about the realities of lesbian and gay life. Libraries should make available a wide variety of lesbian and gay titles to lenders, sports centres should promote specific lesbian and gay services and local arts bodies should support lesbian and gay arts.”

It also proposed a number of detailed initiatives for councils to take and tackled the Section 28 issue.

Conference notes that this document covers many other aspects of public services including:

Housing Services

Health and Social Services

Learning & Education Services

Police & Justice Provision etc.

In order to move this agenda forward Conference agrees to write to local authority Chief Executives to ask what service provision they are providing for lesbians and gay men within cultural and leisure services, including libraries, leisure & recreation, arts and lifelong learning.

Conference further notes:

Some Councils in the past have been publicly criticised by MPs and Councillors for developing and offering such services to the lesbian and gay community.

Conference instructs the National Lesbian and Gay Committee:

To work in conjunction with a broad range of other organisations both those campaigning for equality and groups within the Local Government sector generally, to publicise the responses from Chief Executives in a high profile way.