CELEBRATING OUR LGBT+ DISABLED MEMBERS SELF- ORGANISATION AND DIVERSITY

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Conference
2019 National LGBT+ Conference
Date
19 September 2019
Decision
Carried

Conference believes that self- organised groups (SOGs) are the equality life blood of UNISON.

The core to trade union organising is bringing people together who share a common experience at work. That is why we organise members who share a common workplace experience of oppression and discrimination due to gender or race or because they are disabled or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus (LGBT+). It is the reason we have self-organisation for Black, women, LGBT+ and disabled members.

Conference affirms that disabled members’ issues and LGBT+ members issues are trade union issues. We welcome UNISON’s continued commitment to equality, self organisation and to tackling discrimination, enshrined in the union’s rules.

Conference is proud of the national LGBT+ SOG’s legacy of commitment to increasing participation from disabled LGBT+ members who have traditionally been and continue to be under represented in society and LGBT+ organisations.

Conference celebrates our diversity and recognises that many of our LGBT+ members experience multiple discrimination.

Conference welcomes the growth of self organisation to encompass all our LGBT+ members and the opportunity for Black, disabled, transgender and bisexual LGBT+ members to organise. LGBT+ members’ self- organisation is fundamental to the union’s recruitment, bargaining and organising agenda at all levels of the union.

Conference is aware that racism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, anti-LGBT+ sentiments, sexism and discrimination exists within society and that our Black, LGBT+, women and disabled members experience prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, under-representation on the grounds of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, disability, and cultural and linguistic differences.

Conference re-affirms its commitment to this core value of our union and to the further development and growth of the caucuses within the LGBT+ members’ SOG as this is how under-represented voices of those experiencing discrimination can be heard and privilege can be addressed.

Conference endorses the principle that we all have a responsibility for challenging all forms of discrimination including racism, disablism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.

Conference therefore calls on the national LGBT+ committee working with other structures of the union as relevant to:

1)Endeavour to ensure that work in respect of our caucuses highlights the need to address intersectionality and multiple discrimination including racism, disablism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia;

2)Actively promote our caucuses and the national network days and encourage caucus development at regional level to increase participation of under-represented disabled members in regional disabled members’ self- organisation;

3)Promote the involvement of disabled Black, LGBT+, bisexual and transgender members in the LGBT+ members’ SOG;

4)Continue to ensure, whenever publicity is produced by our self organised group, that it reflects the full diversity of our membership.