LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER CONFERENCE

[Twerto]

UNISON SCOTLAND ANNUAL LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER CONFERENCE

 

The Annual Conference of UNISON Scotland's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Members will be held on Saturday 21 October 2006.

 

 

 

The Conference will take place in the UNISON Office, 4th Floor, 18 Albion Street, Glasgow, G1 1LH from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm and will be both workshop and motion based.

 

 

 

The Conference not only provides an opportunity for motions to be brought forward to guide the work of the Committee in the coming year but also is an excellent forum for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender UNISON members to meet and make contacts both within and across the service groups.

 

 

 

There is no restriction on the number of delegates sent by branches as long as all delegates self define as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

 

 

 

Travel and subsistence costs will be met.

 

 

 

Further information and delegate registration forms can be found at:

 

www.unison-scotland.org.uk/lesbiangay/index.html The closing date for registrations is 6 October.

 

Just recieved this email.. and before i get started I want to make the point i dont care about the conference itself.. but what i dont get is why the unision feels it has to cover travel and subsistence costs.. when they wouldnt do such things for a general conference. you would be left to your own devices to organise and pay for your own travel..

 

Yet another example fo where political correctness has gone wrong in my opinion.

[Styles]

One rule for one group and another rule for another, I agree with you.

[Fifi]

Just recieved this email.. and before i get started I want to make the point i dont care about the conference itself.. but what i dont get is why the unision feels it has to cover travel and subsistence costs.. when they wouldnt do such things for a general conference. you would be left to your own devices to organise and pay for your own travel..

 

Yet another example fo where political correctness has gone wrong in my opinion.

I don't understand positive discrimination. I thought we were all meant to be equal...

[evian2]

100% agree, it makes a mockery of the whole "equalities debate" when people who are LGBT have to get privledges. Would they reinburse the same event if it were for disabled people? no, and people with disabilites wouldnt get there own conference anyway, because they dont wine on about being treated unequally as much as LGBT. Give me a break.

[Colin]

I'm a little concerned that they are concentrating a little to much on 'motions'. Does this discriminate against the female membership?

[Mag]

what i dont get is why the unision feels it has to cover travel and subsistence costs.. when they wouldnt do such things for a general conference. you would be left to your own devices to organise and pay for your own travel..

 

I used to be active in Unison (10+ years ago), and in those days Unison paid for delegates' travel and expenses for all conferences. Has this changed?

[Twerto]

what i don't get is why the unison feels it has to cover travel and subsistence costs.. when they wouldn't do such things for a general conference. you would be left to your own devices to organise and pay for your own travel..

 

 

 

I used to be active in Unison (10+ years ago), and in those days Unison paid for delegates' travel and expenses for all conferences. Has this changed?

 

Yes it is still the same. but you are I believe limited to the number of delegates you can send. Where in this conference the number of delegates you can send is limitless.

 

just seems to be derogatory of the aspect of what Unison stands for.. of all standing together regardless of gender specifics ( hmm maybe i am against the idea of this conference after all )

[Styles]

I thought Unison was to lefty.

[JAStewart]

THey're paying for travel because they want to attract many people there.

[Mag]

Yes it is still the same. but you are I believe limited to the number of delegates you can send. Where in this conference the number of delegates you can send is limitless.

 

You don't honestly envisage dozens of gay delegates travelling down from Shetland do you? As long as homophobia is rife, the number of self proclamed gay delegates will be very small.

 

just seems to be derogatory of the aspect of what Unison stands for.. of all standing together regardless of gender specifics ( hmm maybe i am against the idea of this conference after all )

 

So are you also against the TUC women's conference? Groups that have been subjected to prejudice over a long period of time, tend to lack the confidence to participate fully in conferences dominated by majority groups. Do you think you have anything to fear from this particular minority?

[moorit]

Yes it is still the same. but you are I believe limited to the number of delegates you can send. Where in this conference the number of delegates you can send is limitless.

 

You don't honestly envisage dozens of gay delegates travelling down from Shetland do you? As long as homophobia is rife, the number of self proclamed gay delegates will be very small.

 

Is it just the Shetland delegates who are having their expenses paid ? I assume it applies to all UNISON delegates, in which case there may well be dozens who claim expenses.

 

Mag, I notice you have chosen to use the word homophobia. I think Twerto was just pointing out that paying expenses to one group and not another is not fair. I don't think he was bothered about what that group's sexuality was, as he stated in his original post.

[Mag]

Mag, I notice you have chosen to use the word homophobia. I think Twerto was just pointing out that paying expenses to one group and not another is not fair. I don't think he was bothered about what that group's sexuality was, as he stated in his original post.

 

I certainly wasn't suggesting that Twerto was homophobic, just that there is a lot of homophobia around, which might inhibit gay people from paticipating fully in these events, and is likely to limit the numbers attending.

 

And as I said earlier, expenses are paid to all delegates to all Unison conferences.

[moorit]

Mag, I notice you have chosen to use the word homophobia. I think Twerto was just pointing out that paying expenses to one group and not another is not fair. I don't think he was bothered about what that group's sexuality was, as he stated in his original post.

 

I certainly wasn't suggesting that Twerto was homophobic, just that there is a lot of homophobia around, which might inhibit gay people from paticipating fully in these events, and is likely to limit the numbers attending.

 

And as I said earlier, expenses are paid to all delegates to all Unison conferences.

 

Here is the difference.

 

If say, 10 Shetland UNISON members asked to attend the UNISON AGM I am sure only 2 or 3 (secretaries and chairman) would have their expenses paid.

If say, 10 Shetland LBG or T UNISON members asked to attend this conference all would have their expenses paid.

 

But, Mag you knew that already !

[Mag]

 

Here is the difference.

 

If say, 10 Shetland UNISON members asked to attend the UNISON AGM I am sure only 2 or 3 (secretaries and chairman) would have their expenses paid.

If say, 10 Shetland LBG or T UNISON members asked to attend this conference all would have their expenses paid.

 

But, Mag you knew that already !

 

Of course! But if 10 Shetland UNISON members ask to attend this conference I'll eat my best hat! That's why it's no big deal that there's no limit on number of delegates getting expenses. It probably is a pity that UNISON have offered apparently limitless expenses if it gives an excuse for negativity about the conference.

[Jordan]

Having been on the Unison Exec in Shetland I can say that the reason why spaces are unlimted to any LGBT group event is because they are what is called a self organised group.

They have their own funds seperate from Unison's general coffers and so costs are paid from here. It is essential that LGBT people are represented within unison and for various reasons they are rightly recognised as having distictly seperate issues than those addressed at say national conference.

Other self organised groups include: black, disabled and women's - these are all adminstered in the same way.