- Conference
- 2024 National Young Members' Conference
- Date
- 2 August 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the success of UNISON’s year of LGBT+ workers in 2024. Throughout the year, both the contributions of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Plus (LGBT+) people to the trade union movement and the exceptional work of UNISON to support its LGBT+ members have rightly been championed. Conference particularly welcomes the continued growth of the young LGBT+ network and the involvement of young members at events across the year. Young people are more likely to identify as LGBT+ and LGBT+ rights are consistently a high priority for young members in UNISON.
2024 also marks 50 years since the lesbian and gay network ‘NALGAY’, the first of its kind, was set up in one of our predecessor unions the National and Local Government Officers’ Association (NALGO). UNISON’s LGBT+ self-organised group has since fought for LGBT+ rights within the workplace and wider society including the repeal of section 28 and the introduction of civil partnerships and marriages for LGBT+ people. UNISON has also continued its fight for trans equality, through pushing workplaces to adopt the model trans policy and delivering trans ally training sessions across all regions. Trans equality remains a key issue for young workers, with younger people more likely to have a trans identity, and 80% of gender diverse people being aged under 30.
However, many LGBT+ people, particularly young people, do not feel able to disclose their sexual orientation and/or gender identity at work for fear of discrimination. The last Conservative government fostered an environment of hostility towards our trans and gender-diverse comrades through their hateful speeches and rollback of trans-inclusive policies, all whilst hate crimes against the community continued to rise.
Conference hopes that the new Labour Government will not follow the pattern of the Conservative government, and expresses concern at the recent comments from the Secretary of State for Health concerning the ban on puberty blockers for young trans people. UNISON’s work to fight for our LGBT+ members must continue well after this year, and we must continue to hold the new government to account.
Conference calls on the National Young Members Forum to:
1. Continue to work with the National LGBT+ Committee to promote and develop the national young LGBT+ members network
2. Encourage young members to participate in the LGBT+ committee mentoring scheme.
3. Encourage regional young members forums’ (RYMFs) to support their regional LGBT+ Self Organised Groups with attending local Pride events, emphasising that Pride should be political and prioritising community driven events.
4. Encourage RYMFs to arrange Trans ally training sessions.
5. Continue to champion the contributions of LGBT+ members to our union, through social media and distributing resources from the LGBT+ committee to our RYMFs.
6. Promote UNISON’s work to fight for LGBT+ rights globally, particularly around solidarity with Palestine and UNISON’s long standing affiliation to ILGA World.
7. Work with Labour Link to continue to fight for Trans rights.