- Conference
- 2025 National LGBT+ Conference
- Date
- 1 August 2025
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that the concept of Intersectionality, which was first coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, recognises that individuals hold multiple, overlapping identities which can impact the way they experience inequality and discrimination. For LGBT+ people, this can include—but is not limited to—being Black, disabled, a woman, a migrant, working class, a carer, neurodivergent or a person of faith.
Conference believes that many LGBT+ workers face layered barriers in the workplace that are not experienced in isolation. A Black trans woman, for example, may face racism, misogyny, and transphobia simultaneously, leading to unique and compounded disadvantages in recruitment, promotion, pay, and safety at work.
Conference also believes that understanding and applying an Intersectional lens is essential to building inclusive workplaces that leave no one behind. Rather than being seen as a challenge, Intersectionality must be embraced as a strength, it should be used as a way to deepen solidarity, improve our organising, and ensure our campaigns reflect the full diversity of our LGBT+ membership.
Conference further notes that despite the importance of Intersectionality, awareness and understanding of the term and its real-life impacts remain limited among some employers, union reps, and even within our own movement.
We in UNISON know that Intersectionality is not a buzzword—it is a reality for many of our members. By understanding it and acting on it, we make our movement stronger, more inclusive, and more effective in fighting for true equality at work and in society. We should be celebrating Intersectionality as a positive and powerful tool for achieving equality, and we should be promoting it in our communications, events, and educational materials.
Conference calls on the National LGBT+ committee to:
1)Work with UNISON college to embed in their training for union representatives and activists real-world examples from LGBT+ workers with multiple marginalised identities.
2)Seek to have Intersectionality included as a core principle in all union policies, equality campaigns, and bargaining strategies.
3)Encourage all LGBT+ SOGs to work with the other SOGs, young members and retired members forums to consider how to create spaces for members to share experiences of Intersectionality and to build solidarity across identities.
4)Encourage members to work with employers and other equality structures to improve workplace practices and policies that recognise the interconnected nature of discrimination.