The third LGBTI Workers Rights conference will be held during this year’s Pride festival, Thursday 25 – Friday 26 October. The conference will focus on issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* and intersex people in the workplace and aims to strengthen links between the LGBTI community and the union movement.
Themed ‘Workplace Warriors: Diverse Communities, Collective Strength,’ the conference is concerned with the rights of LGBTI workers, the responsiveness of the union movement to the issues faced by LGBTI workers, and the need for connections between the union movement and the broader LGBTI community.
The key note speaker at this year’s conference is acclaimed US author, unionist and LGBTI activist Leslie Feinberg. The conference will be Leslie’s first and only appearance in Australia.
The conference includes a trans* caucus where participants can speak directly with Leslie Feinberg. There will also be trans* focused workshops and discussions. Other workshops include ‘Creating Queer Friendly Workplaces’; ‘Coming Out at Work’, ‘Dealing with Stress and Homophobia’ and more.
The conference opens at the Court Hotel Thursday night 25 October with the keynote presentation by Leslie Feinberg, and continues on Friday 26 October. The conference finishes on the Friday night with drinks at Parliament House, and participants are invited to march with the union float in the Perth Pride Parade on Saturday 27 October.
Registration forms can be downloaded from the LGBTI Conference webpage – www.unionswa.com.au (follow the link to About US – LGBTI). For more information, email lgbti@unionswa.com.au or call Clare on 0403 456 131.
Clare Ozich
Clare  is one of the organisers of the LGBTI Workers Conference.
