Trans rights and the Labour Party

Conference notes that comments made by Keir Starmer on 28 October in a Mumsnet interview regarding trans youth healthcare have caused significant concern In response to a question from a Mumsnet user about the interim report by Dr Hilary Cass on the provision of trans youth healthcare, Starmer focussed on the idea of consent, saying: […]

DEFEND DISABLED AND LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PLUS (LGBT+) RIGHTS WON THROUGH THE HUMAN RIGHTS ACT

Conference welcomes the United Kingdom’s (UK) Conservative government’s decision not to proceed with replacement of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) with a Bill of Rights Bill. However, Conference is not fooled and is well aware of the Conservative’s intention either to repeal the HRA or even withdraw from the European Convention of Human Rights […]

Solidarity with Ghana’s LGBT+ community

Conference notes that for many years Ghana’s government has been extremely hostile to LGBT+ people. Currently same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under the Criminal Code 1960, which criminalises acts of ‘unnatural carnal knowledge’. This provision carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment. Only men are criminalised under this law. The law was inherited from […]

ACCESSIBLE ORGANISING FOR LGBT+ MEMBERS

Conference notes that UNISON national LGBT+ committee has produced resources to support the recruitment of LGBT+ members and development of LGBT+ activists. These include ‘Putting politics back into Pride – a UNISON practical guide to recruiting and organising’, ‘Digital organising for LGBT+ equality guide’ and bargaining factsheets to support negotiations with employers for our LGBT+ […]

Motion to NDC – EQUALITY IS FOR RETIRED MEMBERS TOO

Conference notes that, during 2022, UNISON’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus (LGBT+) self-organised group (SOG) succeeded in raising the issue of trans equality widely within the union by submitting substantially similar motions to several UNISON conferences. Their opportunity to do so is based on UNISON rules D1.10.4, D3.4.10 and D5.7.5 which entitle each SOG […]

BAN CONVERSION THERAPY NOW!

Conference welcomes the partial ban on conversion therapy announced in the Queen’s Speech in May 2022 that targeted ‘abhorrent conversion therapy practices’. Not abhorrent enough to extend to our trans siblings over 18. Apparently, the rights of trans people are part of a ‘balancing act’ that needs ‘careful management’. Not empathy, not protection, but ‘careful […]

EQUALITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SPEEDING TICKET SCHEME

Conference notes that a workplace that actively encourages Equality Diversity and Inclusion is more successful, can help to keep employees happy and motivated, prevents serious or legal issues arising, such as bullying, harassment and discrimination and will attract and keep good staff. Conference also notes that where LGBT+ members and their allies continue to fight […]

EQUALITY IS UNISON BUSINESS

Conference notes that one of UNISON’s main aims is ‘to seek to ensure equality of treatment and fair representation for all members and to work for the elimination of discrimination on grounds of race, gender, sexuality, gender identity, disability, age or creed’. To achieve this, UNISON seeks for branches to have equality co-ordinators, whose role […]

COMBATING ANTI-TRANS NARRATIVES IN THE MEDIA

Conference notes that the trans community has seen an escalation in the volume and the toxicity of anti-trans articles across all media platforms in recent years, to a level now that is almost beyond comprehension. While the initial increase was commonly attributed to the United Kingdom (UK) wide rise in negative sentiment shown to all […]

WHY LGBT+ EMPLOYEES SHOULD JOIN UNISON

LGBT+ people have been and are still experiencing verbal and physical bullying from colleagues, customers or service users because of their sexual orientation / identity and some still do not feel confident about reporting homo/bi and transphobic bullying in their workplace. According to Stonewall more than a third of LGBT staff (35 per cent) have […]

LGBT+ HATE CRIME

This Conference is deeply concerned by the steep rise in LGBT+ hate crime in Scotland since lockdown restrictions were eased at the beginning of last summer. The rise in homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crimes is not restricted to Scotland but has been replicated across the rest of the United Kingdom (UK). Hatred and abuse […]

NEGOTIATING TRANS EQUALITY WITH EMPLOYERS

Following the 2021 LGBT+ conference, the national LGBT+ committee launched a trans equality campaign to be louder and prouder about our support for trans and non-binary members’ rights. This campaign has many elements – from trans ally training and establishing a trans ally network to lobby the United Kingdom’s governments and the Labour Party to […]

SUPPORT FOR LGBT+ COMMUNITIES IN UKRAINE

LGBT+ people in the context of the war in Ukraine, like everyone, have many reasons to stay in Ukraine or to leave the country. Like their fellow citizens, LGBT+ people are staying, supporting each other, providing mutual aid, and fighting against the Russian invasion. LGBT+ people, however, face additional barriers to fleeing the country, including […]

MAKING THE ‘+’ A POSITIVE – CONTINUING THE WORK OF INCLUSION

Conference notes it has been 3 years since UNISON’s lesbian, gay, bisexual (Bi) and transgender (trans) (LGBT) self-organised group achieved a rule change to include the “+” to become the LGBT+ self-organised group. The purpose of the rule change was to ensure we are inclusive of all identities from within our community and to reflect […]

No Hate at Pride

Conference is appalled by the trans exclusionary radical feminist protestors from Lancaster Resisters who decided to march at the front of the Manchester Pride parade in August this year. Reports suggest that they covered about half of the parade route before exiting the parade after engagement by Police and Pride Officials. Following the event, a […]