Despite the disappointment of Leslie Feinberg falling ill and being unable to travel to Perth to give the keynote address, the LGBTI Workers Rights conference was a great success. About 60 queer and straight unionists and non-unionists met to participate in workshops and discussions on the rights of queer workers and the role of unions in supporting their LGBTI members.
After the Secretary of UnionsWA, Dave Robinson, opened proceedings, participants engaged in workshops covering subjects such as coming out at work, trans* issues and transitioning in the workplace, creating queer friendly workplaces and cross movement collaborations. A panel discussion followed on the topic of unions and their engagement with the broader community with a representative of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union describing that union’s campaign to assist workers from the Philippines brought to Australia on 457 visas. The panel also involved representatives from Scarlet Alliance, the sex worker advocacy organisation, discussing attempts to unionize sex workers and their, at times, fraught relationship with the union movement.
The conference provided an opportunity for union activists, queer activists and queer workers to come together, share their perspectives and build collective strength. Queer union activists will gather again in Melbourne at the Rainbow Conversation about Human Rights that is running in conjunction with Outgames in January and at the Queer Rights at Work conference in Queensland later in the year.
Written by: Clare Ozich
