- Conference
- 2014 National LGBT Conference
- Date
- 22 July 2014
- Decision
- Carried
This conference believes there has been truly significant progress in achieving equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the workplace and society in the United Kingdom, but agrees there is still more to do reach true equality here, and much more so around the world.
This conference believes that the work of LGBT members in trade unions has been a major contributor to this progress.
This conference notes the Youth Chances report. Youth Chances – a project supported by UNISON – conducted a survey of young (16 – 24 year olds) LGBT people, which revealed serious concerns in such areas as schools, mental health, safety and risk, and transgender experience. Despite these findings and other evidence, the gains that have been won mean many young UK LGBT people are now growing up in a more accepting society, often with familial support, with more easily-accessible LGBT support networks, and in workplaces which have positive policies and action around LGBT equality. Anecdotally, some young people are expressing the view that the ‘battle has been won’.
This conference is concerned that there should be no intra-generational divide over the work that remains to be done, and that it is essential more work is done to encourage young LGBT people into LGBT activism, and more specifically into LGBT trade union activity.
This conference calls on the national LGBT committee to:
1. Produce a charter of specific positive changes by which they would measure progress in achieving equality;
2. Work with the National Young Members Forum to promote the charter;
3. Enter a dialogue with young members about LGBT self-organisation and how its tradition as a force for positive change can be continued and developed in the context of the progress already made.