- Conference
- 2015 National LGBT Conference
- Date
- 22 July 2015
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference welcomes the decision by the Trades Union Congress Young Workers Conference to make mental health an issue of priority for the coming year and notes that the UNISON national young members’ forum has also made mental health a priority for its 2015-16 workplan.
Conference also welcomes the discussions that have been initiated between equality groups in UNISON on the subject of mental health.
Mental health is increasingly an issue that affects many of us and those we know. The issue disproportionately affects LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus) people, likely due to the additional hardships that LGBT+ people can experience in a society that is still frequently intolerant.
Conference calls on the national LGBT committee to recognise and address the increasing issue of mental health among LGBT people by:
1. Establishing LGBT+ mental health as an issue of priority for the year;
2. Signposting materials to provide information and support regarding mental health issues in LGBT+ people to equality co-ordinators and LGBT officers in branches;
3. Campaigning for increased awareness of the struggle of LGBT+ people with mental health issues, and also how austerity measures have compounded this problem;
4. Calling on branch and regional LGBT groups to ensure that they engage with their branches and regions on raising awareness of this issue.