TUC LGBT Equality Newsletter
International action
IDAHO events
International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) is Saturday 17 May, and this day has really taken off as an occasion for members of our communities to promote solidarity with sisters and brothers facing persecution elsewhere in the world. Trade unions are playing their part, and below are some of the events being organised.
The TUC LGBT Committee has organised to leaflet community venues in London's Soho.
To take part in this event, meet at 3pm outside Caffe Nero, Old Compton Street, Soho. Contact: Maria Exall, 07714 206404.
There will also be leafleting taking place in the Midlands, in Birmingham,
For information about the Birmingham leafleting, contact Yvonne Washbourne on 0121 766 4396.
UCU are organising a meeting in the Mechanics Institute in Manchester, and the CWU are organising to lay a wreath outside the Iranian embassy in London during the morning, so that anyone supporting this event will be able to take part later in the Soho leafleting.
IDAHO ribbons for sale!
Unions wanting something distinctive to decorate their IDAHO activities - or just to promote it to colleagues or networks - can buy stocks of Orange Ribbons with the slogan 'zero tolerance to homophobia' from the East London Lesbian and Gay Centre (ELOP), e-mail admin@elop.org., tel. 020 8509 3898. The organisation is a charitable voluntary body working for LGBT communities across east London and funds raised contribute to that work.
News from Europe
Stop the Euro retreat!
Having promised that June 2008 would see a new European Directive that would level up legal protection against discrimination in non-employment areas on grounds of sexual orientation, religion/belief and age, the European Commission has signalled that it is reneging on this commitment.
The measure would have created equivalent protection in the area of goods, facilities and services as already exist on grounds of race and gender. It was first promised by the European Commission President, Manuel Barroso, when he took office, and it featured in the Commission's published work programme for 2008. Now, it seems that this has been abandoned in favour of a directive on the grounds of disability alone, as a result of political pressure. It is reported that Germany took the lead in opposing the plan.
Of course, trade unions totally support the proposal for a directive on disability. But the abandonment of the original proposal means that all the problems faced by LGB people (in this area, trans people are meant to benefit from the existing gender laws) in many of the states that have recently joined the EU will continue to go unchallenged. Everyone knows that the alternative currently being suggested - in the form of 'recommendations' - will be useless in challenging deep-seated prejudice-based discrimination.
The TUC has written to Manuel Barroso and to Peter Mandelson, the UK Commissioner, to call for the restoration of the original proposal. Some union General Secretaries have also written. Local trade union organisations can usefully contact their local MEP: the European Parliament has voted time and again in support of the proposed directive.
The Europe-wide campaign (which is supported as well by the European TUC - ETUC) is being coordinated by the International Lesbian and Gay Association- Europe (ILGA-Europe) and there is much useful background material, as well as draft letters etc, available on their website, http://www.ilga-europe.org. The Liberal MEP Liz Lynne has launched a petition, which can be signed at: http://www.signtostopdiscrimination.org/
Good News from the ECJ
Readers may have seen that the European Court of Justice has handed down a favourable judgement in the (German) case of Maruko v. VddB. The case was about the claimant's right to the survivor benefits from an occupational pension scheme, and the court ruling was sweeping in declaring this entitlement, including with retrospection. The UK government intervened in order to defend its interpretation of the Employment Equality (sexual orientation) regulations in the UK, that were based on the same directive as this case was about, and their argument was rejected by the Court. There is currently much discussion among discrimination lawyers in the UK as to the significance of this ruling for the present position in this country, where, as a result of the trade union legal challenge and the political campaign around access to equal pension rights in the Civil Partnership Act, we secured backdating to 1988 (based on the equivalent for widowers). The TUC LGBT Committee is working with TUC officers to clarify whether this judgement does, or does not, open up the existing UK arrangements to challenge.
Amnesty International UK/TUC Seminar
The report of the successful joint seminar held by the TUC and Amnesty International UK on 5 March 2008 will be published shortly and will be downloadable from the TUC website (LGBT pages), www.tuc.org.uk./equality/Lgbt. The meeting heard a moving and inspiring presentation from representatives of Mozaika, the Latvian LGBT organisation, who issued an invitation to people to join them for Riga Pride this year, and Amnesty are organising to have a presence. The date has now been moved at the request of the police to 7 June, and anyone planning to go is advised to check the latest information on the Amnesty website, www.amnesty.org.uk/lgbt.
Developments in UK law ...
Trans Goods and Services regulation
Since 6 April, a new regulation has (at last and belatedly) incorporated the prohibition of discrimination in goods and services on grounds of gender reassignment into British law (in the form of the Sex Discrimination (Amendment of Legislation) Regulations 2008). While this is a very welcome step, it has been noticed that there are an exceptional number of exemptions permitted, in particular for religious organisations. These exemptions - which were opposed by unions and others during the consultation last year, done as part of the Discrimination Law Review - amount to a significant weakening of the legislation. Guidance is promised by the Government, and the good news is that a trans activist is centrally involved in their production.
Human Embryology and Fertilisation bill
Some activists may recall campaigning in 1990 against the insertion into the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Act of that year of a clause calling for one of the conditions for access to IVF to be 'the need for a father'. The consequence of this wording - matching directly the motivation of its movers - was that lesbian couples and single mothers were collectively condemned as inadequate and second class parents.
Now, the Government has introduced a new bill to update the law in this area in the light of the big scientific advances that have taken place. Among the changes will be the deletion of 'the need for a father' and its replacement by the non-discriminatory requirement of evidence of 'supportive parenting.' This bill has attracted significant interest on a number of grounds, and the one most likely to attract media attention will be the attempt to amend it to limit existing women's rights to abortion. But one of the other controversial areas proved to be fathers and IVF, and led to a predictable campaign from the usual suspects trying to restore this exclusionary clause. Their attempt to reintroduce fathers in the debate in the Lords was convincingly defeated. However, at that time, there was a whipped vote: now, bowing to the pressure from (in particular) Catholic ministers and MPs, the Government has decided to allow a free vote on this and two other controversial clauses.
The TUC is working to maximise the supportive vote when the issue returns to the Commons in May. Unions can encourage MPs to vote to support the government's measure.
Single Equality...?
While the Government's proposed legislation to unify all Britain's disparate equality laws into one statute is awaited, the suggestion that there may be a step back from the original notion that all equality 'strands' should benefit from the broadening out of the current public duty to promote race, disability and gender equality to cover the other areas has caused concern and alarm. There are a number of possible scenarios: either the bill will cover all areas, but with the scope of the current duties weakened; or the current duties will be retained in their present form, and the other areas continue to be omitted. Three MPs - Diane Abbott, Peter Bottomley and Andrew George - have put down an Early Day Motion (no. 1403) calling for a public duty covering sexual orientation. Unions may wish to encourage MPs to sign this EDM, which has no consequence in itself, but reveals the extent of support for such a measure among parliamentarians.
... and practice
Working with the EHRC
For years, campaigners for LGBT equality have worked without there being a statutory body around to promote our issues. Now however the Equality & Human Rights Commission is open and working, with a remit to cover all equality areas. There was an initial stakeholder meeting for LGB groups in Manchester on 10 April, and the TUC was invited. Trans issues are being covered separately, although there are issues about how far equivalent weight is being given to this, which the TUC has taken up.
The stakeholder meeting identified a range of priority issues for the Commission, a list that reflected the TUC's own priorities, including the education system, and discrimination in the workplace. The problems faced by LGBT asylum seekers were highlighted, and the challenge of dealing with the faith and homophobia issues raised by the successful TUC-sponsored conference in 2007 was also discussed, with a suggestion that the Commission might play a constructive role in this too.
It was a very positive meeting, with a welcome confirmation by the EHRC representatives that there was no hierarchy, and a strong commitment to continuing and effective stakeholder engagement. The TUC has subsequently agreed with the Commission that its stakeholder list will include other trade union LGBT groups and contacts.
Links are already being made between the EHRC regional offices and the TUC regions: regional LGBT groups need to discuss with the regional offices how they might relate to this.
Working with the FCO
The TUC and Unison have been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over the role that the FCO can play in promoting LGBT equality abroad, and discussions are concluding about the production of a toolkit for overseas diplomats that will assist them understand the issues, and the policy to follow. It is hoped that members of the FCO team working in this area will attend the TUC LGBT Conference on 3-4 July to present the policy and answer questions.
Prides News
Pride London 5 July 2008
The TUC is more closely than ever involved with Pride London, with Patrick Williams from the LGBT Committee having joined the Pride London board and the TUC remaining a major sponsor of the event, thanks to the contributions from national unions making that possible.
The shape of the event is similar to 2007, with a magnificent parade through central London ending in a rally and festival in Trafalgar Square, where unions have a block of stalls. As before, the TUC will be giving out free t-shirts to delegates who will attend Pride from the LGBT Conference the days before. Once again, we are hoping for a splendid presence of highly visible trade unionists with flags and banners, accompanying trade union floats (or at least, what has gone into folklore as Betty's Bus) - and better weather has been ordered, too.
If you are going to attend Pride London, which still figures as the only national Pride, despite hot competition from other cities, please do join the trade union section - it will be near the front.
The growing Pride phenomenon
17-18 May: Blackpool Gay Pride http://www.prideblackpool.com/
9-25 May: Queer Up North - Greater Manchester http://www.queerupnorth.com/index2.php
24-25 May:Birmingham Gay Pride http://www.birminghampride.org.uk/
23-25 May: Bear Pride http://www.bearpride.co.uk/
Saturday 7 June:Scottish Borders LGBT Pride Barbeque http://www.borderslgbt.org.uk/
Saturday 7 June: Plymouth Pride http://www.plymouthprideevent.co.uk/
Saturday 7 June: South Yorkshire Pride - Sheffield http://www.southyorkshirepride.co.uk/site/
Saturday 5 July: Pride London - Parade and rally http://www.pridelondon.org/
Saturday 5 July:Rainbow Fest - Aberdeen http://www.rainbowfest.co.uk/
11-13 July: Bourne Free - Bournemouth http://www.bournefree.co.uk/
Saturday 12 July: Oxford Gay Pride http://www.oxfordpride.org.uk/
Saturday 12 July: Newcastle-upon-Tyne http://www.n-pride.org/
19-20 July:Lincolnshire Gay Pride http://www.lincolnshirepride.com/
26 July-3 August:Brighton and Hove Gay Pride - Festival, parade 2 August http://www.brightonpride.org/
26 July - 2 August: Belfast Gay Pride http://www.belfastpride.com/
Saturday 26 July:Thanet Pride
Saturday 26 July:Nottingham Pride http://www.nottinghampride.co.uk/
Sunday 3 August:Pride in our City - Leeds http://www.leedspride.com/
Saturday 9 August:Gloucestershire Rainbow Day http://www.gloucestershirepride.org.uk/
Saturday 9 August: Hull Pride http://www.leedspride.com/
Sunday 10 August:Wakefield Pride http://www.wdco.org/site/Pride-not-Prejudice/index.htm
Saturday 16 August:UK Black Pride - London http://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/
Sunday 17 August:Doncaster Pride http://www.doncasterpride.co.uk/
15 - 25 August:Manchester Gay Pride - Festival http://www.manchesterpride.com/
Saturday 23 August: Cornwall Gay Pride - http://www.cornwallpride.co.uk
Saturday 30 August:Reading Gay Pride http://www.readingpride.co.uk/
Saturday 30 August: Pride Glasgow http://ww.prideglasgow.co.uk/
11-14 September: SuperGay weekender - Middlesbrough
23-26 October: York Lesbian Arts Festival http://www.ylaf.org.uk/ylaf/
Never have there been so many events, and each represents an opportunity to spread the word about trade unionism. Regional LGBT groups will have discussed whether than can participate in their regional events, some resources and materials will be available from the TUC nationally to help.
Trans with Pride: sad clash
Following the great success of the Trans with Pride conference in 2007, generously sponsored by the TUC, there was deep disappointment that the follow-up event, largely organised by the same people, clashes with the TUC LGBT conference on 4 July, despite this being pointed out to the organisers early on. The TUC LGBT Committee therefore decided not to support the conference this year. Any trade unionists planning to attend could feed into the debate the importance of not clashing with the largest labour movement LGBT event in the country. Perhaps proper collaborative working can be restored in 2009!
Regional News
SERTUC triumph
The Southern and Eastern Region TUC LGBT group pulled off a triumphant success with its History Month celebration on 26 February. Generously supported by a number of sponsors including the Region itself, the event featured speakers, musicians and performance artists from the LGBT community, and attracted a wide range of participants.
Wales Committee
Meanwhile, the Wales TUC LGBT Committee is now a recognised part of the Wales TUC's constitutional structures. As such, it is conducting elections in May. At present, there are no nominees for two categories: unions with below 5000 members (in Wales) and unions with from 5000 to 50000 members (in Wales). Anyone interested in being nominated in either category is encouraged to approach their union regional secretary to seek nomination.
Cardiff Pride as been cancelled this year, but Swansea takes place on 6 September.
This newsletter is compiled by the TUC from information supplied by unions and TUC regional LGBT groups. Please send communications to the contact below.
Newsletter (2,500 words) issued 29 Apr 2008
