LGBT+ members at UNISON Centre
A year ago, Jennifer Black, Lucy Power and Penny Smith, all members of UNISON’s national LGBT+ committee, discussed their hopes for the imminent Year of LGBT+ Workers in 2024.
They were particularly aware that the year would be taking place against a background of culture wars being pushed by the far right and members of the then Conservative government, not least in terms of anti-trans rhetoric.
The committee was looking to make the group more visible, and to enhance education around LGBT+ identities.
With the year now, nearly, at a close, the trio came together again to assess how it went.
Learning more about ‘+’
“It’s been an interesting year,” says Penny. “We were determined to get some training out there about the ‘+’ identities, determined to increase the ace spec network”.
Ace spec is ‘asexual spectrum’, with ‘ace’ being a term for people who experience little or no sexual attraction to others. It’s thought that between 1-2% of adults in Britain identify this way.
Yet, according to Stonewall, asexuality is still regarded as a sexual dysfunction under the International Classification of Diseases. Ace spec people have been assaulted if open about such an identity and are often faced with hugely inappropriate lines of questioning, including from colleagues. ‘Don’t you watch porn?’, and ‘have you ever had sex?’ are just a couple of examples.
“We’ve surpassed what we set out to do, continues Penny. “More and more regions are asking me to deliver ace spec training. We’re embarking – just like Jenny did with the trans ally training – to train the trainers, so it’s not just falling on my shoulders.”
A new ace/aro network within the SOG also had its first caucus meeting at this year’s LGBT+ conference. (‘Aro’ is an umbrella term used by people who don’t typically experience romantic attraction.)
Jenny says that the presence of the new network is indicative of the need for it – and of the success of the year.
“I don’t think we could have done it if it hadn’t been for our year. Well, we could have done it, but it would have been a lot harder. It gave us a voice that spread throughout the union, rather than us being in a silo.
“I’ve felt that people nod to us to be polite, rather than understanding the challenges we face as LGBT+ people. Our year has helped us break down barriers and educate the wider union.”
And she adds: “The journey the service group has been on – and that Penny has led us on – has been phenomenal.”
Proud to be out in UNISON
Sharing the love
For Jenny, one of the major achievements of the year came at national delegate conference, where three changes to the rule book were passed. Two covered the use of non-gendered language – for example: Delete ‘his/her’, replace with ‘their’.
In the third, conference backed calls to change male seats to ‘general’ seats – making it much easier, for instance, for non-binary members to stand for office.
She says that it showed that “people are really starting to listen and understand where we’re coming from.”
And she puts this down, in part at least, to “the way we’ve stalled ourselves as a community, as a SOG, the way we’ve interacted with the other equality groups and the wider union, that got a lot of allies talking on our behalf.”
Lucy picks up the theme. “The trans, non-binary and gender diverse group have really set the groundwork in terms of the trans equality campaign. That started the ball rolling.
“They did a huge amount of work to get everyone on board. We had given so much support to the other SOG years – Year of Disabled Workers, Year of Black Workers – so when it came to our year, it almost felt as if all the other SOGs felt that they should reciprocate that same love – and they did it in buckets.”
She says that Penny’s ace/aro network was “especially supported because everyone was in the groove of The Year of, and people are starting to see what ‘+’ represented, and those other groups coming in for a mass equalities cuddle and saying: ‘This is great. What can we do to support you too?’”
Lucy also points out that, as more is known about sexuality and gender, more labels are created – ‘naming is knowing’ – as people start to recognise and name their own experience. As that happens, more people will come on board.
She cites how, at this autumn’s police, probation and CAFCASS conference, LGBT+ issues were raised in a panel discussion – a profile that that event has never previously afforded the SOG. “That would never have happened without this year,” she says.
“It was so nice to see people on the floor really engaging. These are not just issues for employees – they’re societal issues and they dictate how we treat the public, how we interact with the public, and that applies across all public services.”
Spreading the word – and having fun
Getting the message across
In terms of the wider context, Jenny says: “I think we have got the message out to the wider membership that trans people are a convenient target at the moment – much in the same way that immigrants are a convenient target at the moment, Black people are a convenient target at the moment, anyone receiving benefits is a convenient target at the moment.
“As such, we are all targets. And I think that message is finally starting to get through.”
The trio agree that UNISON faces a dilemma in terms of its own commitments to LGBT+ members and times where it has to deal with external organisations that might have a less robust approach, given that anti-trans sentiment in particular can be found across the political spectrum.
Indeed, since the US presidential election, one theme of blame for the Democrats’ defeat has been the party’s support for trans rights, though there is no evidence that throwing trans people under the bus would have changed the result.
But, more optimistically, Jenny notes that she recently attended a regional meeting, where “two guys from South West Water – a tiny branch” gave a presentation about what their branch had done during the Year of LGBT+ Workers and the impact they hoped to make in the region.
“It really brought home to me how the year has empowered people to get more active,” even out of their comfort zone, she says.
So – much done, much achieved. And as Penny notes: “It won’t end at the end of 2024 – the work’s going to continue”.
The new UNISON ace/aro factsheet is available to download here.
