#ulgbt14 UNISON's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members met this weekend in Blackpool for hopefully the last time under this Tory led Government.
As always LGBT Conference debated a wide variety of motions, with austerity and cuts being a recurring theme. Housing, where young LGBT members are particularly suffering from attacks on their rights to housing benefit, risking them being in hostile private shared housing. Gender Services, where Trans members are struggling for support as services are cut. Of particular note this year was a number of motions around supporting older LGBT people, with the shocking state of our fragmented and mostly privatised social care where there is huge fear of discrimination.
UNISON LGBT activists are an organised presence in most if not all Pride celebrations this summer and.along with other trade unionists, have been prime movers in the growth and success of Pride festivals across the UK over the past decade. Less apparent has been the crucial role played by LGBT trade unionists in securing legal rights since 1999 culminating in the Equality Act 2010 and recent same-sex marriage gains. LGBT trade unionists have played a similar transformative role in the US labour movement and a new book
'Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America,' which chronicles the union contribution to the 'growth and success of the modern LGBT rights movement' is reviewed in Dissent magazine:
http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/unite-queer
#ulgbt13 Over 400 delegates and visitors gathered in Liverpool over the weekend for the annual conference of UNISON's LGBT self organised group. In a moment of collective pride, exactly 30 years after Nalgo's first lesbian and gay conference, UNISON's first out President Maureen Le Marinel addressed conference on Saturday morning. Local Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Justice Stephen Twigg praised the trade union movement's massive contribution to the recent advances in LGBT rights but noted that there remains much to do both at home and internationally:
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/lgbt-conference-twigg
A group of delegates at the UNISON LGBT conference in November took part in a short film telling Israel they are not fooled by its attempts to woo them over by presenting Israel as a gay-friendly destination. Pinkwashing, a PR technique, aims to use opposition to homophobia to legitimise Israel and undermine support for Palestine:
http://www.unison.org.uk/international/pages_view.asp?did=15089
#ulgbt12 UNISON is the only union that brings together such a large gathering of LGBT activists, Roger McKenzie, Assistant General Secretary pointed out in his address to UNISON's LGBT conference in Brighton this weekend. His impassioned speech captured the mood of conference, which has spend much of the time discussing the devastating impact of the Tory led Government's austerity and attacks on workers. Roger highlighted not only where UNISON is fighting but where we are winning such as Edinburgh, Southampton and Cornwall.
UNISON's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) members meeting at our conference in Glasgow have shown our commitment and resolve to fight for equality and to stick up for LGBT workers and the services we provide and rely on. In a historic moment the conference was addressed for the first time by an out gay woman Vice President of UNISON Maureen Le Marinel.
#TUC11 The President spoke. Congress listened. There were two votes of thanks. Someone mentioned that Michael Leahy was once the youngest ever shop steward in his union at the age of 17. And that was that. Except...
Yesterday Liverpool held its third Pride march and festival. Local UNISON members were present campaigning on public services in particular raising awareness of spending cuts in youth and HIV support sevices. Liverpool branch activists were joined by NW LGBT activists Carl Phillips (Knowsley branch), Darrell Burns (Wirral & West Cheshire health branch) and Eileen Best (Stockport branch & chairperson of regional LGBT group) - pictured at the busy UNISON stall.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-14427989
During the local government debate on motion 24 on pension rights for civil partners, conference heard one of the best speeches of conference to date from a delegate from Birmingham. He gave a funny, passionate and moving speech about why it is only right and proper his partner should have full survivor pension rights, not least because his partner has put up with his snoring and untidiness for so long!
On International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia 2010, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) whishes to express its solidarity with all workers facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in Europe and beyond.
