Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender +

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union held a protest outside the Ugandan embassy in London over the governments plan to introduce a new law known as the 'Kill the Gays Bill.' If this bill is enacted, Uganda would be one of the legally most discriminatory places for sexual minorities in the world.

RMT members handed out hundreds of leaflets in Trafalgar square and helped to spread awareness of LGBT Ugandan's plight to thousands more with flags and banners which caught the attention of many passers-by. Several people approached us to voice there support for LGBT Ugandan's and disgust at what the government there is planning.

This is a synopsis of the report given by the London Transport Region Executive Member Janine Booth to the London Transport Regional Council Meeting on 29th November 2012.

To get more details please try and attend your branch meeting or regional council - your rep should have more information too. Alternatively this site has lots of information and material for workplaces in the London Region.

LTRC RESOLUTIONS

PMAs

We note the full Council of Executives has asked us to prepare a 'strategy to eradicate homophobia'. We instruct the General Secretary to prepare this work based on a non exhaustive list of ideas, e.g.

1. challenging homophobia within the RMT
2. responding to homophobic instances in the workplace
3. provide support to members who are coming out as LGBT
4. ensuring employers have policies that practise full equality
5. supporting anti homophobic campaigns
6. RMT to provide new materials for our LGBT members that challenges homophobia in the workplace

Council of Executives decision: That we increase the LGBT Conference to 2 days from 1 as it is now.

RMT is appalled to hear that Uganda's proposed 'Kill the Gays' bill has been placed on the schedule of the country's Parliament and may be debated later today or sometime very soon.

We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), and all people fighting the Ugandan Parliament to get rid of this draconian anti-gay legislation.

We join others in describing the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality bill as abhorrent and an offence to decency.

RMT Council of Executives decision:

We note the item from the LGBT Advisory Committee and we instruct the General Secretary to:

1. Support campaigns against anti-gay organisations that fraudulently and harmfully claim they are able to ‘cure’ homosexuality.
2. Support and mobilise for appropriate protest actions on this issue to bring the fake business of ‘reparative therapy’ to an end.
   

Responding to a resolution from the LGBT Advisory Committee, RMT's Council of Executives has made this decision: We note that this is already Union policy and this horrendous attack on under 25s is part of this rotten Government's attacks on working people and noting that our LGBT members feel under further attack as many of them are trapped in circumstances where they are afraid to 'come out', which causes them more problems. The General Secretary is instructed to write to the TUC explaining our position and we are already campaigning with other groups eg.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow has signed up the RMT to a local community safety scheme, CLASP, to show that we are LGBT friendly.

The RMT Head Office in Camden now has a sticker on display in the window to demonstrate that the building is a 'safe place' for LGBT people should they need a place of refuge whilst near to the building.