Beyond Mere Legal Equality – The Campaign for a Charter for Change

Conference notes recent changes to legislation to provide for LGBT equality – notably the recently introduced provisions in goods, facilities and services and the promised Single Equality Act but recognises a number of areas where LGBT people are profoundly disadvantaged by a society where heterosexual norms still prevail and we still deal with a legacy […]

Celtic Connections and the LGBT Youth Charter of Rights

Conference notes that another successful ‘Celtic Connections’ training event took place in Glasgow this year, between Scottish and North Irish LGBT members. This training focussed on the theme of multiple identity and multiple discrimination and continued on from the Scottish UNISON LGBT AGM, which had debated issues surrounding older LGBT people. Transgender awareness training was […]

Screening of Blood Donors

Conference congratulates both the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) on their continuing hard work keeping the United Kingdom with a 24 hour blood supply with the resources that they have at present. Conference calls on the National LGBT Committee to include SNBTS in the review of evidence, […]

Diversity in Survival: Burma

Conference congratulates UNISON for its role in awareness raising about Burma (Myanmar) in particular for its ongoing campaign within the Labour and trade union movement to pressurise international governments to impose investment sanctions on Burma. Burma has been controlled by a military dictatorship for the past 40 years, condemned by the UN and numerous International […]

Goods, Facilities and Services Equality and Our Transgender Members

Conference welcomes the steps forward in LGBT equality with the Government’s upcoming anti-discrimination legislation on grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services. Conference also welcomes the responses from national & regional groups, as well as individuals, to the consultation document. It is with regret though that the consultation document was […]

Conference Action Report

Conference recalls: 1.The resolution of the fourth National Lesbian & Gay Conference (1996) to instruct the National Lesbian & Gay Committee to produce and circulate to regional groups a detailed action plan within ten weeks of the close of conference; and 2.The resolution of the eleventh National Lesbian & Gay Conference (2003) to instruct the […]

Palestine – No Pride in Occupation

Conference recalls the resolutions on Palestine of the Twelfth UNISON Lesbian & Gay Conference and the First UNISON Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Conference. It reaffirms those decisions but regrets to note how little progress has been made to carry them out. Conference instructs the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGB&T) Committee to review […]

Women’s Participation

Conference welcomes the ongoing work and consultation regarding women’s participation in the LGBT self organised group following motions carried at the 2005 LGBT Conference. Conference recognises that the time scale of a year was not sufficient to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive consultation took place which included the views of LGBT women who are not […]

Library Stock of Interest to Transgender People

Conference understands that, although books and other written materials of interest to transgender people do get published, their print runs are often limited, they go out of print quickly, and they are not widely advertised around the library and bookseller world. In addition Conference believes that although films, videos and DVDs of interest do exist, […]

Supporting the Work of ILGA and Developing UNISON’s International LGBT Work

This Conference acknowledges the campaign contribution of ILGA as an expression of international solidarity for LGBT communities across the world and as the only genuinely world wide LGBT affiliation based organisation which has for a number of years been a core focus of our international solidarity work. Conference further recognises that our work with ILGA […]

Pressing for Change – The Continuing Campaign for Transgender Equality

Conference welcomes the UNISON response to the Government’s consultation on anti-discrimination in the area of goods facilities and services on the grounds of sexual orientation and expresses its gratitude to those regions, branches and members who contributed to the consultation. Conferences notes that UNISON included in its response its demand that the omission of anti-discrimination […]

Organising for Equality – Training

Conference welcomes the publication of “Organising for Equality – UNISON Guidelines on Self Organisation”. However, conference regrets how briefly these guidelines discuss training. Conference considers there needs to be systematic availability of training to members of self-organised groups and further training on the roles and responsibilities of officers and representatives. Conference instructs the National LGBT […]

Publicity Materials and Training on Transgender Issues

Conference acknowledges the amount of LGBT publicity materials and information documents produced by UNISON. Conference, however, notes that Transgender specific materials are limited. Conference is also aware that training on Transgender issues for UNISON members is very patchy, while welcoming the work that is being done, for example by Northern Ireland and Scotland LGBT groups. […]

Conference Attendance and Accountability

Conference notes with increasing concern that Conference business is liable to fall from the agenda if delegates are not on the Conference floor at the appropriate time. Conference should recognise that the funding of attendance is from national, regional and branch level and as such delegates have a responsibility to their branch/region to ensure that […]

Training on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues within the Public Sector

Conference notes that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) recognition within family friendly policies is sketchy despite the Sexual Orientation Regulations 2003. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that line managers knowledge and interpretation of these policies is often lacking and open to misinterpretation. Conference instructs the National LGBT Committee to: 1.Work in conjunction with the service […]