{"id":4579,"date":"2015-06-26T16:04:24","date_gmt":"2015-06-26T15:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=4579"},"modified":"2015-06-26T16:04:24","modified_gmt":"2015-06-26T15:04:24","slug":"pride-of-unite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=4579","title":{"rendered":"Pride of Unite"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

As the summer kicks off, Pride events will be hosted throughout the nation, with Unite playing a decisive part as it continues in its critical work in supporting the LGBT community \u00e2\u20ac\u201c both in and out of workplace.<\/p>\n

 
\nAt the largest Pride event hosted in London tomorrow (June 26), Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s members will assemble at noon at the junction of Blanford and Baker Street, where they will march from Oxford Street to Whitehall.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite chair of the national LGBT committee Jenny Douglas said that Unite will have a particularly strong presence this year, and will march alongside the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, a group whose support of miners in Wales during the miners\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 strike was last year immortalised in the runaway hit film Pride<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be a really great event this year,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Jenny noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have banners and a Unite stall. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have a very visible presence at Pride events in different parts of the country as well.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nJenny condemned the way in which Pride has been appropriated by corporate sponsors. This year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pride organisers have chosen to place sponsors such as Starbucks, Barclays and Citibank, at the front of the parade — a move that was criticised by many trade unionists<\/a>, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve argued it stands against the spirit of the event, which has historically been centred on protest and solidarity.<\/p>\n

 
\nAlthough Unite and its predecessor unions have long been champions of LGBT rights, Jenny noted that Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s LGBT committee has in the past few years played a pivotal and growing role within the union.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe support the LGBT community in numerous ways, and not just problems within the workplace such as bullying, but also in various stages of life. We give support to LGBT youth who may just be coming out, many of whom are made homeless as a result. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve joined together with various other organisations, such as Hope Not Hate, and have supported each other through fundraising drives.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

\"METADATA-START\"<\/a>

Unite at Pride in Bournemouth, 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

United we stand <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 
\nBetty Gallacher, former chair of the Unite LGBT committee, has played a central role in her longstanding fight for LGBT rights within the union, the workplace and the community. She first organised Betty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bus at London Pride, which has since become a cornerstone of the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence at the event.<\/p>\n

 
\nBetty encourages everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhether gay or straight\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to attend Pride events.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnited we stand and divided we fall \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the important thing to remember,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen I was at a conference in Eastbourne, I told the people in the hall, \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Every single one of you is connected to someone who is gay. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re closed-minded, you could have a son, a daughter, a granddaughter who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s afraid to come out because of how you feel.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bHomophobia still exists everywhere, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to stamp it out,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd the more people who join us and show solidarity, the more likely we are to stamp out homophobia. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only way we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to do it \u00e2\u20ac\u201c by uniting the people.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nBetty, who is from a mining family and is a veteran of both the union and LGBT rights movement, has attended Pride events for years.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe London Pride parade is an incredible event and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger every year,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re standing on top of the bus and you look out into the masses of people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s truly phenomenal.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘We must remain vigilant’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 
\nThis year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Unite stalls at Pride events will distribute materials encouraging people to join, Jenny noted.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll help make people aware of what we do, not just for the LGBT community but for all working and vulnerable people. If we reach just five, ten or fifteen people and have those conversations about what we do and how we can affect real change, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll make all the difference.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nJenny argued that the fight for LGBT rights continues despite the gains we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOver the past few years, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve definitely come a long way \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the right to marry being a key turning point. But we still have a long way to go. When we make big wins, we sometimes become complacent and we start to take our eye off the ball.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nJenny pointed to the newly elected government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vicious austerity cuts agenda, and how it will have a deep impact on the LGBT community.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMany of the programmes that support LGBTs will be cut because they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re seen as a soft, easy target \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be cuts by stealth,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s this very support that we need the most and so fighting austerity must be a key goal for us.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe also have to remember that many of the aims of this government are to dismantle our rights and the gains that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made — their proposal to repeal the Human Rights Act is just one example of this,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Douglas added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have to remain vigilant.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nInterested in joining Unite at tomorrow\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pride event? Find out more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 
\nAnd don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget that there will be Pride events throughout the summer in cities and towns up and down the country \u00e2\u20ac\u201c dates and locations can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the summer kicks off, Pride events will be hosted throughout the nation, with Unite playing a decisive part as it continues in its critical work in supporting the LGBT community \u00e2\u20ac\u201c both in and out of workplace.   At the largest Pride event hosted in London tomorrow (June 26), Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s members will assemble at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[329,328],"wps_subtitle":"Check out this year's Pride events with Unite","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4579"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4579"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4582,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4579\/revisions\/4582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}