Speak out for equality We live in an unequal world. We’ve grown up in societies that expect us to adopt traditional male and female gender roles, which dictate how we should dress and act, what sort of jobs we should go for, who we should have relationships with. Many of us challenge these gender norms, but we also learn how to survive at work and on the streets. We are so used to not being equal that we sometimes barely notice the inequality. One of our survival techniques is keeping our heads down and avoiding trouble, if we possibly can. We surveyed activists in 2003, just before the employment regulations protecting workers from discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation came into force. Of those reporting discrimination, just over 52% had been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. 24% said they took no action, with 8% leaving their job to escape the situation. In 2006, Press for Change surveyed trans people for the government’s equalities review. They found that 42% of people not living permanently in their preferred gender role were prevented from doing so because they feared it might threaten their employment status. We are concerned that this pattern is not changing. We know that workplace discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people continues to be a serious problem. The cost of this discrimination is not only paid by the person at the receiving end. It poisons the whole workplace and has a clear impact on our ability to do a good job. Earlier this year, Stonewall surveyed over 100 lesbian, gay and bisexual workers on how they felt their performance was affected by whether or not they were able to be out as LGB at work. The report Peak Performance is on the Stonewall website www.stonewall. org.uk. It makes interesting – if unsurprising – reading with participants almost universally reporting a positive link between workplace climate and their own productivity and performance. So discrimination is alive and well. Yet few of us complain. We don’t underestimate what it takes to challenge prejudice and discrimination. But the point about being in a trade union is that each one of us has the collective strength of the whole union behind us. Don’t put up with it – speak out for equality.
Find information about your right to work free from discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender reassignment on our website: www.unison.org.uk/out or available from Carola Towle, UNISON national officer for LGBT equality – contact details on page 11. If you are experiencing discrimination, contact your branch. If you’re not out in your branch, contact your regional office – details on page 11. Details of a survey seeking views on how to increase requests for legal advice on sexual orientation discrimination are on page 2.
New referral system for sexual orientation discrimination claims By Jane Pendry, UNISON legal services UNISON’s equality scheme was launched in June 2008 to embed the union’s principles of equality. Each part of the union is examining the work that they do and how it promotes equality for different groups of UNISON members. In looking at our equality actions, legal services has identified that we receive very few discrimination claims under the sexual orientation regulations, which protect lesbian, gay and bisexual members. There may be many reasons why we have proportionately fewer of these claims. One may be the current system of referral. At present, members must put in a sexual orientation discrimination claim like any other claim, through their UNISON branch. This may be a difficult thing to do if you do not want to tell people in your branch
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We are therefore considering a new referral system whereby members can contact a ‘faceless’ person at regional level with whom they are likely to have no other contact. This regional colleague will pass the claim directly to head office. Our hope is that this would encourage members experiencing sexual orientation discrimination to come forward. We are considering this only for sexual orientation cases at this stage. Most legal cases are dealt with by UNISON’s external solicitors. However, sexual orientation cases are ‘reserved’ to our unit at head office, as it is relatively new legislation.
We have developed a short questionnaire to gauge the opinion of lesbian, gay and bisexual members on whether this referral system would be a positive step. We would be grateful if you could spare five minutes to complete our questionnaire. All responses will be treated as confidential and no names are required on the questionnaire. You can access the questionnaire online directly at http:// surveys.unison.co.uk/login. asp?survey=referral_process or via www.unison.org.uk/out If you would prefer a hard copy of the survey or have any queries on this, please contact me, Jane Pendry on j.pendry@unison.co.uk or 020 7551 1319.
Update on the Equality Bill
In this issue Recruiting LGBT migrant workers
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Blood donor sessions
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Tackling hate crime
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Contact details
about your sexual orientation or if you are fearful of the reaction after you make a complaint.
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We still await the publication of the government bill to overhaul equalities legislation in England, Scotland and Wales. From what we know of its content, there is much to be welcomed, including the extension of the duty on public bodies to promote equality to all discrimination grounds, including sexual orientation and gender reassignment. However, we have serious concerns about whether it will properly address the issue of equal pay and on the limitations and exclusions in relation to trans equality. There is a briefing on UNISON’s position at www.unison.org.uk/equality. You can request a hard copy from Carola Towle, contact details on page 11. We continue to lobby for the strongest legislation, on all equality grounds.
Recruiting LGBT migrant workers in UNISON by UNISON Migrant Workers Unit Since the beginning of this year, UNISON has a new unit to organise and support migrant workers within our union. The migrant workers unit consists of three people: Greg Thomson, Susan Cueva and Adam Rogalewski (a gay man, seconded from the Polish trade union federation OPZZ, who was previously involved in the lesbian and gay movement in his country of origin). We meet workers from all over the world who have come to the UK in search of a better life. Many of them decided to leave their country for obvious reasons such as better wages, but some moved to the UK because they are LGBT. They often faced discrimination, not only in their workplace, but also from their families. Our unit was created to support all migrants, including LGBT workers, and we are proud that one of our colleagues is both a migrant worker and a gay man. Working with LGBT migrant workers can be difficult. Many are afraid to talk about their sexual orientation
or gender identity. Very often, they live in closed communities that have brought with them many of the prejudices that exist in their country of origin. In addition to this, their perception of trade unions may be based on their previous experience – they sometimes see trade unions as conservative organisations and the last place to look for support. For instance, from a Polish perspective, being an LGBT worker is still a social taboo, so if you tell your union rep in Poland about your problems such as bullying or harassment, they would not know how to react. Being an LGBT person in Poland is a private issue and trade union representatives would likely explain to you that they have more important tasks to focus on, such as longer leave or better work conditions. In short, for Polish trade unions it is normal that somebody could be discriminated against on the grounds of their sexual orientation. There are two issues for us as a migrant workers unit. First of
all we want to be welcoming and supportive to LGBT migrant workers. We know that all migrant workers can face hostility – our myth busting guide appears below and is on the UNISON website. Secondly, we believe it is important that we promote UNISON values among migrant workers, particularly around inclusiveness and respect for workers irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. If you know any migrant workers who might like to be more involved in UNISON please put them in contact with our unit. There’s more information on the UNISON website and you can call us via UNISONdirect – details on page 11. Editor’s note: we discovered on a recent UNISON delegation to Poland that Adam is far more than just ‘involved in the lesbian and gay movement’. Despite his tender years, he is a founding member of Poland’s Pride Parade movement – a far more challenging task than organising Pride events in the UK. We are very fortunate to have him working with us in UNISON.
Myth We are being swamped by migrant workers Fact In an average year the net long term immigration is less than 50,000 – a drop in the ocean compared to the whole population
Myth Migrant workers take our social housing and get priority in NHS services Fact New migrant workers take up less than 2% of social housing
Myth Migrant workers mean increased crime Fact Reports of large scale crime waves associated with migrant workers are racist scare stories aimed at causing community strife.
Myth Migrant workers cause unemployment Fact There is no fixed numbers of jobs in the UK – migrant workers have increased the number of jobs not reduced it.
Myth Migrant workers undercut our wages Fact Migrant workers do not take lower wages than someone else doing the same job – they do tend to work in lower paid jobs
Myth Migrant workers come to the UK because it is a soft touch for scroungers Fact Migrants contribute more to the UK tax system than they claim from it
Myth Our public services can’t cope with the influx of migrant workers Fact Without them, our public services would be in real trouble. For example, 13% of health, education and public administration workers are migrant workers
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Blood donor sessions in workplaces The following UNISON advice has been issued to branches on good practice in relation to workplace blood donor sessions. If your employer invites the blood service into your workplace, make sure your branch committee has seen this advice and acted on it. UNISON recognises the vital need to maintain a safe and adequate blood supply. We support the efforts of the national blood services to encourage people to become donors and acknowledge that holding donor sessions in workplaces can help with this. However, not everyone can donate blood. Among those currently excluded are all men who have ever had sex with another man. Other people may be excluded because they are trans, weigh less than 50kg, or because of their medical or travel history.
other screening criteria because of aspects of their private life. It is not acceptable for there to be a strong presumption that everyone will give blood, nor for managers to round up work teams. UNISON has called for a review of the research on which the current screening policy is based and the NHS Blood and Transplant Service has said they will equality impact assess the policy. But in the meanwhile, the blanket ban on men who have had sex with another man continues. This means that great care must be taken in arrangements for workplace blood donor sessions to protect people’s confidentiality. This is not just to protect the privacy rights of men who have had sex with another man (and this may be just once, in the past), but to protect others who may not meet
Nobody should be questioned by their manager or by their colleagues if they do not give blood. Managers should make clear to staff that such questioning is unacceptable. Blood donor sessions in workplaces should be arranged so staff can attend or not attend without this being obvious to colleagues. If branches are aware of good or bad practice in blood donor sessions in workplaces, or want more advice on this, please contact Carola Towle, UNISON’s national officer, LGBT equality, details on page 11.
The road to power 10 easy steps to getting elected to Parliament By Deirdre Costigan, UNISON Greater London and LGBT Labour How can LGBT people increase their representation in parliament and in the devolved assemblies? Here are some ideas for UNISON LGBT members: l become a Labour Link levy payer – download a political fund transfer form from www.unison.org.uk l offer to be the Labour Link officer for your branch, get elected to your regional Labour Link committee or go to the annual Labour Link Forum l join a political party – they will 4
embrace you with open arms! UNISON members can join the Labour party for £1 a month
l become a local councillor, many wards are selecting candidates now – contact your local party.
l become a delegate to your local Labour party general committee (GC) – contact your regional UNISON Labour Link officer
l apply to get on UNISON’s Parliamentary candidate list
l become a school governor – you will learn lots, you’ll build up community contacts and you’ll get a taste of how much commitment you need for a political career l join LGBT Labour – www. lgbtlabour.org.uk
l find a winnable parliamentary seat and get the local affiliated UNISON branch to nominate you as the candidate l once selected as the candidate, ask for funding from Dorothy’s List for your election campaign.
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Addressing biphobia By Richard Lohman, Bi caucus rep, national LGBT committee
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What is Dorothy’s List? Dorothy’s List is a campaign fund established by LGBT Labour to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans candidates standing to represent the Labour party in Parliament. If you want to ask for support for your election campaign – or you would like to make a donation – contact lgbtlabour.org.uk
LGBT Labour In addition to our affiliation to the Labour Party, UNISON is affiliated to the Labour Campaign for LGBT Rights – known as LGBT Labour. This is a socialist society that is affiliated to the Labour Party. UNISON uses our affiliation to LGBT Labour to lobby the Labour party on equality issues, such as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill and demands for a new EU antidiscrimination directive on goods and services. UNISON sent two delegates to the LGBT Labour AGM in May and we submitted a successful motion on increasing women’s participation in the organisation. Four UNISON LGBT members were also elected to the national committee of LGBT Labour.
Earlier this year, the bi caucus led the national LGBT committee in training on how to address biphobia in ourselves and others. This article summarises the issues. We know that lesbian and gay people experience oppression in our heterosexist society. The historic struggle for lesbian and gay rights may have felt easier if it did not acknowledge bisexuality. It is probably easier for a heterosexist society to accept sexuality that does not threaten the binary model. But now we accept the need to include bi equality in our organising, negotiating and campaigning. With continued education on biphobia, the myths about bisexuality will eventually evaporate. Exposing some of these myths is a first step.
Seven typical biphobic statements Myth one: Bisexuality doesn’t exist This is ridiculously simplistic view of sexuality. Myth two: It’s just a phase Often expressed by people who have had their own sexuality dismissed as a ‘phase’ at some point. Myth three: Bisexual people are promiscuous Bisexuality is much more than sex. It involves emotions, desires and relationships. It may not even include sex. Myth four: Bisexual people can’t be monogamous Whether straight, gay or bisexual, people engage in a range of relationships and lifestyles. Myth five: A bi man will always leave you for a woman and vice versa. You can’t trust them There are many happy bisexuals in committed same-sex relationships. Myth six: Bisexuality is a cop out Adopting a bisexual identity is definitely not a cop out; we face the possibility of discrimination and hostility from all quarters. Myth seven: Bisexuality is a fashion statement This denies the everyday lives and experiences of most bisexual people. Find out more from Bi Community News – there is a link to their pages on the LGBT pages of UNISON’s website.
To join LGBT Labour go to www. lgbtlabour.org.uk 5
Making the change By Lucy Persechino, national LGBT committee As I travelled back from my latest appointment at the gender identity clinic, I mulled over my discussion with my consultant about the most important part of transition – social change. I was sitting relaxed on the London underground during rush hour, and it occurred to me how far I had come in the last two years. I started my ‘real life’ test in September 2006. The very first thing I became aware of was my change in social status, from being perceived as a heterosexual male to a transgender woman. Some would say from the top of the social tree to the bottom, or even to a secondclass woman. In my first two weeks of transition I was terrified of any public journey.
My social circle reduced by 90% overnight and I was even dropped by some of my family. I don’t write this as a sob story, sounding like I want an X Factor audition. I just want to highlight what some trans people can go through.
l haven’t faced your own personal issues l can’t function in public life and the work place.
I was privileged to be asked to co-present at some UNISON training sessions on trans equality and found it enlightening to talk to people and answer their questions.
What trans people need to do is find our own personal acceptance and self-love. But this is a workplace and a trade union issue, as well as a personal issue. Stability and a safe working environment are key factors for trans people as we take hormones and our body, mental and emotional sides change. Being in the union can make all the difference.
Most people seem to assume that ‘the op’ is what it is all about. It really isn’t. If you: l don’t feel happy inside and comfortable with yourself l don’t have a stable social environment
Surgery won’t heal any of this. It just corrects nature’s mistake.
Watching the detectives By Louise Ashworth, national LGBT committee co-chair Being a member of a local police independent advisory group (IAG) is a responsible position – it’s important, interesting and at times exciting. I was invited to become involved five years ago, because of my personal and professional experience. I give advice predominantly on LGBT issues, hate crime, housing, homelessness and disability. I work in an inner city division so we are responsible for all the ‘hot-spots’. We are consulted on strategies, policies, publicity, operational matters, training and complaints. We act as links between the community and the police. We attend quarterly meetings but might be required to attend a special meeting after a major national or local incident. In the past year, my IAG has been invited to comment on anti-terrorism strategies, gun and knife crime, domestic violence and a code of conduct. We have also set up two sub committees – domestic violence and guns and gangs. 6
I have been out with the police on safety awareness raising exercises, visiting areas where there had been a spate of sexual assaults and robberies against gay men. We also visited gay venues to make links with the gay community and encourage hate crime reporting. I am in the process of trying to improve links between Preston LGBT Centre, the community and the police. I have also gone into the town centre with the police on a Saturday night to observe how they deal with revellers. IAG members are known as critical friends – I have found that the police have been open to my friendly criticism on more than one occasion. I would recommend to LGBT members to get involved with their local IAG if the opportunity arises. It’s one of the ways we can feed into the criminal justice system and make our communities a safer and fairer place to live, work and play.
Profile of a retired member – Sue Salzedo Out in UNISON asks Sue Salzedo, long-time UNISON activist, what it’s liking being a retired member Tell us about your life as a working member? I was a youth and social worker for 35 years, working with 14 - 25 year olds. One of my unforgettable moments was when I was in court with a juvenile. The magistrate asked them if there was anything they wanted to say before being sentenced. Their response was “Beam me up Scottie”! Classic, cheeky but not disrespectful. I was very involved in UNISON at local and national level. I have attended more UNISON conferences than any sane person should admit to! What preparations did you make as you approached retirement? I attended a local authority-run preretirement course. Although the programme looked very uninspiring, the course was excellent and covered everything that I needed to know. I would recommend that anyone approaching retirement take advantage of this type of course if offered to them. Also, UNISON provides free independent financial advice - do yourself a favour and take advantage of it.
side of things. I attend the retired members conference as a branch delegate.
Is being retired like you thought it would be? It’s better than I thought. I can do what I want to do. I still wake up thinking how great it is not to have to go to work and still have a modest income. Have you got involved in UNISON retired members organisation? Yes, I am on the regional retired members committee and job-share the post of branch retired members’ secretary. My job share does the outings; I do the campaigning
The first retired members conference was a real shock to me. I was very surprised that there were no caucus meetings. A motion was passed at this year’s conference, supporting caucus meetings, so hopefully from 2009 there will be an opportunity for retired LGBT members to caucus written into the programme. What advice would you give to others approaching retirement? Have some ideas what you want to do with your time. I thought I might learn languages or another musical instrument, but opted in the end to sit my A level maths. Don’t wait; don’t worry about spending money to do things that you really want to do. Now is the only time that you have. Join in things - voluntary work can be very rewarding. The main thing is to enjoy yourself.
LGB equality training for further education UNISON has supported the production of new DVDbased training materials for further education on LGB equality for staff and students. This is part of our work on the Forum on sexual orientation and gender identity in post school education. The background to this was research published in 2006 by the Centre for Excellence which showed high levels of homophobia in the sector and a lack of knowledge from managers on how to tackle it.
The training package – ‘Visible and valued’ – helps further education providers develop practical approaches to delivering sexual orientation equality. It will be launched at a conference in London on 21 November. Conference places are free to LGBT activists and can be booked online on the Centre for Excellence’s website www.centreforexcellence.org.uk . There is a trailer for the training materials and details of how to order them on the same site. 7
Positively public housing in Blackpool By Louise Ashworth, homelessness prevention officer Oh we do like to be beside the seaside. Many of us think of Blackpool as a seaside town with the illuminations, tower, pleasure beach, sea, sand and kiss-me-quick hats. Others know it for the thriving gay scene. Behind the bright lights, there are high rates of deprivation; HIV is on the increase; there are high levels of drug and alcohol dependency; high rates of unemployment and disability; an increase of migrant workers into the town and families with a variety of needs. Three years ago, there was a high level of homelessness with hostels full, families placed in bed and breakfast and repeat homelessness presentations. We re-organised and set up a homelessness prevention service. As a result, we never use bed and breakfast accommodation, homelessness has been cut by
half and repeat homelessness has nearly disappeared. We intervene at an early stage if possible, and try to put packages together to keep someone in their home. We negotiate with landlords, challenge them if they are acting unlawfully and enforce the criminal law if they have harassed or illegally evicted tenants. In our team we have homelessness officers, a triage-style housing advice assessment team, a dedicated single homelessness and rough sleeping team, a youth homelessness mediation officer, a welfare rights officer and a housing applications team. As a result of our approach, in 2007 the Department of Communities and Local Government granted us regional champion status in homelessness prevention. This year we have been named as one of only 12 trailblazers in enhanced housing
options. This will require us to put together a good practice toolkit for use by other local authorities and act as a mentor. Priorities identified for this year include a project aimed at providing accessible housing advice to migrant workers and their families, working with the local LGBT forum to tackle homelessness and housing needs for LGBT people and disability equality. We are currently carrying out a comprehensive equality impact assessment of our homelessness and homelessness prevention strategy. This is a very exciting time for us. I am particularly pleased that the Housing Options Service is taking equalities, including the problems faced by migrant workers in housing, seriously. I am proud to be working for a service that is positively public.
Do you work or study in higher education? In the first survey of its kind, LGBT staff and students are being asked to give their experiences of higher education. UNISON LGBT higher education members are urged to respond to the survey which you can access via the UNISON website www.unison.org.uk/out till 14 November 2008. The research has been commissioned by the Equality Challenge Unit, which promotes equality for staff and students. The findings will identify any barriers or 8
other issues affecting LGBT people in higher education, leading to recommendations on what action should be taken. The Equality Challenge Unit covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Association, HEFCE, Universities Personnel Association, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Stonewall and Press for Change have all been involved in the production of the survey.
The research is led by Professor Gill Valentine, Professor Paul Plummer and Dr Nichola Wood from the University of Leeds. UNISON and other HE unions, the NUS, academics, managers, representatives of the Universities and Colleges Employers’
For the findings to give a representative picture, we urge all LGBT HE members to respond giving their experiences. The findings are due to be published in March 2009.
Tackling hate crime By Deirdre Costigan, national LGBT committee Although there is still much to be done on combating homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime, there is also a developing bedrock of good practice. In December 2006 the Home Office produced comprehensive guidance: Tackling Homophobic Hate Crime. This guidance offers a wide range of options for local police services, including using penalty notices and anti-social behaviour orders. It emphasises the need to increase reporting by working in partnership with the local LGBT community. The guidance highlights Lancashire police’s ‘blue phone’ helpline, which allows victims and witnesses to report homophobic hate crime anonymously. It also points to Kirklees Community Safety Partnership, which offers six sessions of counselling to help reduce the possibility of long-term mental health problems following victimisation. Greater Manchester police authority has established an independent panel of LGBT representatives to provide advice and scrutiny in relation to the police’s work on LGBT hate crime. In 2004 the police service launched a self-reporting pack called True Vision. There’s information on their dedicated website: www.report-it. org.uk, which emphasises that the police will take complaints of
homophobic and transphobic hate crime seriously. The Home Office recommends True Vision be used alongside a package of reporting initiatives such as websites and third party reporting at LGBT venues and organisations. In London, GALOP has been active in supporting survivors of hate crime and people can report homophobic and transphobic hate crimes anonymously through their website. However, like most voluntary organisations, GALOP needs more resources to further develop its work. In many London boroughs there are police diversity officers who are active in building links with the local LGBT community. There are also specially trained officers whose task is to investigate hate crimes. Awareness of these initiatives by local LGBT communities is patchy. Improved publicity for existing services is essential if reporting levels of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crimes are to increase. Regional LGBT groups have been asked to work with local service providers to increase awareness of services offered by the police, local councils and other providers and to push for sufficient and sustained levels of resources for initiatives to continue.
Transgender day of remembrance: 10th anniversary 23 November is the 10th anniversary of the day first set aside in 1998 to memorialise those people killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. In remembering them, we continue to campaign for a society that promotes equality for all and for strengthened hate crime legislation across the UK. There is information on this in the LGBT committee annual report.
New trans advice UNISON and the Scottish Transgender Alliance have produced a guide for union reps supporting trans members. For many reps, when a trans member comes asking for their advice, it will be their first experience of dealing with trans equality. Gender Equality: An introductory guide for trade union reps supporting trans members gives a background to what it means to be trans followed by practical advice on common workplace issues. It should be read alongside UNISON’s factsheet Bargaining for Transgender Workers Rights, which gives further information on the law and key negotiating points. UNISON branches can order copies of the guide from stock. Individuals can order it from the national LGBT equality officer or download it from the LGBT pages of the UNISON website. 9
Scottish LGBT Hearts and Minds Agenda – challenging prejudice By James Morton, UNISON Scotland The Scottish Hearts and Minds Agenda Group was set up in June 2006 to look at attitudes towards LGBT people in Scotland. The group worked over 18 months to formulate recommendations for the Scottish government and other organisations, such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which aim to challenge prejudice and change negative attitudes towards LGBT people in five key areas: education and family; citizenship and social capital; religion and belief; media and leadership; and workplace and public services. The group was made up of representatives from three national LGBT organisations: Equality Network, Stonewall Scotland and LGBT Youth Scotland, and representatives from other LGBT community organisations. James Morton and David Calderwood, members of UNISON’s National LGBT Committee, contributed to the workplace and public services sub-group, which was led by Stonewall Scotland.
In early November 2008, the Scottish government published its response to the recommendations, welcoming the report and responding positively with firm commitments to the majority of the recommendations.
In February 2008, the LGBT Hearts and Minds Agenda Group presented their report Challenging Prejudice: Changing Attitudes towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in Scotland to communities and sport minister Stewart Maxwell MSP at a special ministerial reception held at Edinburgh Castle which also marked LGBT history month.
UNISON particularly welcomes the Scottish government’s recognition that work on transgender issues has been historically neglected and the Scottish government’s commitment to funding the development of specific initiatives for transgender equality and good practice guidance in workplaces and public services. The Scottish government has also committed to
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working in partnership with LGBT organisations and employers to link with good practice from other staff networks – of disabled people, women, or black staff. UNISON is ideally placed to provide examples of good practice in developing such networks. The report and the Scottish government’s response can be accessed online at www.scotland. gov.uk. Hard copies are available from Ruth Dickinson in the Scottish Government Equality Unit, Area 2G, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. Tel: 0131 556 8400 or 08457 741741 (for UK local rate) or email ruth.dickinson@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
LGBT committee annual report out now The report on the work of UNISON’s national LGBT committee from the end of November 2007 to October 2008 is now available. You can read it online at www.unison.org.uk/out or request a copy from Carola Towle, national LGBT officer – see contact details, right.
Labour Party rules now trans inclusive A change to the Labour Party rule book adding gender identity to the non-discrimination rule was backed by more than 98% of delegates at this year’s Labour Party conference. The rule change was submitted by LGBT Labour – see page 5 for more on their work.
The latest TUC LGBT equality newsletter reports that following lengthy consideration by a panel of independent (and sober) judges, the prize for ‘best stall’ among the trade union section at Pride London was unanimously awarded to UNISON. Other news, events and campaigns, include Holocaust Memorial Day, Imaan conference, religion and homophobia and new surveys. Read it at www.tuc.org.uk/ equality or ask for a copy from Carola Towle – see contact details, right.
Contact your local branch to find out if they have an LGBT or equality officer. Whether or not you are out in your branch, you can contact your regional LGBT group in confidence. Eastern Jo Weiss j.weiss@unison.co.uk
South East Teresa Donegan t.donegan@unison.co.uk
East Midlands Brian Crosby b.crosby@unison.co.uk
South West Jon Dunn j.dunn@unison.co.uk
Greater London Jackie Loudoun j.loudoun2@unison.co.uk
Cymru/Wales Lynne Hackett l.hackett@unison.co.uk
Northern Linda Hoffman l.hoffman@unison.co.uk
West Midlands Lianne Brooks l.brooks@unison.co.uk
Northern Ireland Pamela Dooley p.dooley@unison.co.uk
Yorkshire & Humberside Jo Turnbull j.turnbull@unison.co.uk
North West Dion Baugh d.baugh@unison.co.uk
Out in UNISON Carola Towle UNISON Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality Officer 1 Mabledon Place London, WC1H 9AJ or out@unison.co.uk 020 7551 1241 (voice) 020 7388 6204 (minicom)
Scotland Eileen Dinning e.dinning@unison.co.uk
Designed and produced by UNISON Communication, UNISON, 1 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9AJ CU/November 2008/17776/UNP 10355.
UNISON wins best stall at London Pride
Contact us and get involved
Contact UNISONdirect For more information about your regional LGBT groups or to join UNISON please call UNISONdirect 0845 355 0845 Minicom 0800 0 967 968 Lines open from 6am to midnight, Monday – Friday and 9am to 4pm Saturday
Out in UNISON is available to UNISON members in large print, Braille and on disc. Email: out@unison.co.uk 11
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