Festival fights intolerance

A vibrant festival shows that celebrating diversity and fostering equality can be fun and inclusive to everyone in the community.

And that was certainly the case on Saturday August 22 when Unite’s industrial and community branches in Newry joined to support the Newry Pride Festival.

Union branches sponsored events, hosted a merchandise stall and conducted an LGBT survey.

Unite regional equality officer, Taryn Trainor congratulated the union’s industrial and community branches on their progressive stance.

“Members coming from a workplace and a community background are joining together to provide vital support to the vibrant Newry Pride Festival,” she said.

“Unite is proud that the local industrial branch has sponsored the range of exciting events which celebrate diversity and promote inclusion and equality.

“Each year this event gets bigger and better and it has already established itself as an exciting alternative to the Pride events held in the larger cities.”

Support for diversity

Trainor believes, “Equality is a vitally important issue for the trade union movement and this event offers us an opportunity to provide support for diversity alongside engaging potential new members.

“Our branches have sponsored this event and set up a Unite stall offering free merchandise and information about membership. Our LGBT and women’s committee members were in attendance to show their support for what is always a very colourful parade and fun family day out,” she reported.

But, she added, “Sadly, some in society view difference as a threat and this can result in intolerance, alienation and violence.

“Unite stands resolutely against such behaviour which is bred by ignorance. Our equality committee has proactively promoted inclusion among our activists and our broader membership.

“So this year, our activists used the festival as an opportunity to conduct a survey on LGBT hate crime – the results of which will inform our plans for the future,” Trainor concluded.