On October 25-26 this year, the third annual UnionsWA LGBTI Workers Rights Conference, entitled ‘Workplace Warriors – Diverse Communities, Collective Strength’ will take place in Perth. Recently, organisers announced Leslie Feinberg as the conference’s keynote speaker.
Clare Ozich, one of the conference organisers, described the conference as ‘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’.
With a long history of involvement in LGBTI and workers’ rights, Leslie Feinberg is someone Ozich believes ‘has an amazing understanding and the ability to articulate the interconnectedness of different oppressions and the need for genuine coalitions and solidarity between people.’ Adding that ‘We are also conscious that often in LGBTI events and movements the ‘TI’ are forgotten. We believe Leslie presents a fantastic opportunity to increase the visibility and discussion of trans issues in WA and around the country’.
As an author, many of Feninberg’s writings deal with the struggles of trans individuals and the need for unity between the LGBTI rights movement and other rights movements, such as workers rights. In hir book *Trans Liberation* Feinberg writes, ‘I am a human being who would rather not be addressed as Ms or Mr, ma’am or sir. I prefer to use gender neutral pronouns like sie (pronounced like ‘see’) and hir (pronounced like ‘here’) to describe myself. I am a person who faces almost insurmountable difficulty when instructed to check off an ‘F’ or an ‘M’ box on identification papers… I simply do not fit the prevalent Western concepts of what a woman or man ‘should’ look like. And that reality has dramatically directed the course of my life’.
Feinberg goes on to articulate the links between trans activism and unionism, explaining ”An injury to one is an injury to all’. It’s the truth the union movement was built on. It’s solid bedrock to build a lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans liberation movement on, too. And it reminds us of our connection to others who are fighting for justice and equality’.
The conference will be Feinberg’s only appearance in Australia, and Ozich and other organisers hope that the presence of an international speaker will draw a larger interstate crowd. When asked what she hopes people get out of the conference, Ozich explained:
‘Different people will takeaway different things from this conference. I hope unionists finish the conference inspired to assist their union in developing policies and forums and groups to enable broader understanding of LGBTI issues in their union. I hope members of the LGBTI community gain a better understanding of the union movement and the ways we can work together for change. Above all, I hope everyone comes away inspired and excited about moving forward and making the world better for all of us’.
The conference is currently looking for dynamic, interactive, inspiring workshops. Proposals are being accepted until May 20th. For more information on the conference, visit www.unionswa.com.au , contact Clare on 0403 456 131 or email lgbti@unionswa.com.au. For more information on Leslie Feinberg, visit hir website www.transgenderwarrior.org.
