LGBT and sex worker organising and the fight against HIV

Conference recalls that 2010 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Conference adopted the resolution “Protecting sex workers and tackling prostitution” which recognized there are divergent views within the LGBT group on the issue of criminalising those who purchase sex acts and acknowledged “a need for continuing dialogue, especially where these issues affect men and trans […]

Pride in our past and our future

Conference notes the contradictory situations faced by Pride events in 2015. On the one hand we celebrate the fact that in this year, 30 years after the Miners’ strike, Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) participated in many Pride events across the country – as well as in other trade union events such as […]

Building the challenge to the Tories and UKIP in our regions and nations

Conference notes that the majority Conservative government will have been in power in Westminster for a year by May 2016. The local, regional and devolved nation elections on 5 May will mark a first test of the Conservative’s electoral support and offer a chance to challenge their power at a local and regional level. Conference […]

LGBT+ Mental Health

Conference welcomes the decision by the Trades Union Congress Young Workers Conference to make mental health an issue of priority for the coming year and notes that the UNISON national young members’ forum has also made mental health a priority for its 2015-16 workplan. Conference also welcomes the discussions that have been initiated between equality […]

Same Sex Parents

Conference welcomes the extension of new rights to surrogate parents enshrined in the Children and Families Act 2014, and recognises that they will be of particular benefit to same sex parents. According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the number of lesbian couples becoming parents via fertility treatment increased by more than a […]

The Inhuman & Undignified Treatment Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Asylum Seekers

Conference notes the human rights abuse perpetrated within the country of origin of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who make asylum applications in the United Kingdom (UK). Upon return to their homeland there would be a good chance they would be unable to live a fulfilled life, even facing the death penalty or […]

Gendered Dress Codes in the Workplace

Conference notes that, although many advances have been made in the treatment of transgender or gender non-conforming workers, harmful gender stereotypes are still being enforced through other means. Dress codes should serve a legitimate purpose, such as maintaining a desired image with customers and clients, or aiding staff visibility, and these ends can be attained […]

Transphobic Feminism

Conference notes that feminism is the promotion of women’s rights on the grounds of achieving equality of the sexes. Trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) are one part of the feminist movement, who believe that only women born women (i.e. with a XX chromosome and female genitalia) should be included. This transphobic ideology was brought to the […]

FORTY YEARS ON: CONTINUING THE PUSH FOR LGBT EQUALITY WITH LGBT LABOUR

Conference notes that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Labour is 40 years old this year. LGBT Labour’s achievements in influencing Labour Party policy include: 1. Equal age of consent; 2. Repeal of Section 28; 3. Gender Recognition Act; 4. Civil Partnerships; 5. Fertility and adoption rights for lesbians; 6. Outlawing discrimination in provision of […]

The high risk of homelessness

Conference notes that many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have no alternative but to rent homes in the private rental market, especially in areas of high property values, and that this disproportionately affects young LGBT people. This is compounded by the lack of social housing. LGBT people may experience difficulties where they have […]

SOCIAL CARE IN ENGLAND

The election of a Conservative government means, in England at least, that there is no end in sight to the crisis in social care nor to the quandary of many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people seeking safe and appropriate care. Conference welcomes the launch of UNISON’s Save Care Now campaign to build on […]

Young people in care

Conference notes the research commissioned by the Rowntree Foundation (Black Youth on the Margins, Ravinder Barn, 2001). The report noted that about 50,000 children and young people were looked after by local authorities in England in 2000. There was no ethnic monitoring of the young people at this point. However in a study of 6 […]

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Conference notes that in 2010 the Ugandan newspaper ‘Rolling Stone’ published a list of 100 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people with their pictures set against a headline of ‘Hang Them’. The photograph of David Kato the founder of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SM-UG) featured prominently on the front page. David, whilst actively fighting against […]

Developing Links in Colombia

It is well known that Colombia continues to be the most dangerous place in the world to be a trade unionist or social movement leader. Between January 2007 and June 2012, 225 trade unionists were murdered for campaigning for their members’ rights and social justice. What is less known by many is that the situation […]

GET ACTIVE – AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

Conference recognises the priority that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) self organisation has given, along with the wider union, to recruiting new members and engaging existing members in self-organisation. It is to our credit that not only do we encourage membership and participation in the self-organised groups but we also encourage activists to operate […]