LGBT conference held in Glasgow
It is the 5th Annual STUC LGBT Workers’ Conference in Glasgow.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender trade union members from all over Scotland will gather in Glasgow this weekend to debate a wide range of issues affecting LGBT people in the workplace and in Scottish Society.
Speaking ahead of the 5th Annual STUC LGBT Workers’ Conference, Graham Newport, Chair of the STUC LGBT Workers’ Committee said:
“The theme of this year’s Conference is ‘Proud Past, Promising Future’ and is an opportunity to reflect on the distance that Scotland has come on the issue of LGBT equality.
"While it is welcome that Scotland is once again top for the Rainbow Europe Index produced by ILGA-Europe, this does not mean that our work is done.
“As motions to the Conference highlight, people in Scotland are still affected by the legacy of the past. Many Gay men still carry historic convictions for homosexuality which can affect their job prospects and, unlike in England, there is no mechanism in Scotland to expunge their records.
"Equally the legacy of section 28 casts a long shadow on our education system and too often schools are not living up to their responsibilities with regard to LGBT equality for both staff and students.
“There is much to be proud of in Scotland’s record on LGBT equality and it is clear that the legal framework in our country is one of the best in the world.
"It remains crucial, however, that LGBT people in Scotland are able to access their rights and issues from the past should not scar the present.”