2018
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World-wide trade union organization talks about LGBTI rightsFrom the 2nd to the 7th of December 2018,
the 4th World Congress of the ITUC
(International Trade Union Confederation)has taken place in Copenhagen, Denmark.
This opportunity was used to discuss the world-wide role of trade unions in defence of people who are discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation,
their gender identity or expression or their sex characteristics.
Read the Congress Statement, amended during the congress and see what the world-wide trade union movement has declared about LGBTQI workers. |
Belgian meeting
The Belgian Union ACV/CSC organises a conference/symposium on November 6, 2018 about LGBT at Work.
This meeting is meant for staff, activists and possibly members, and will have an international facet.
Find the programme (in Dutch/in French)here, more information via facebook and registration
here.. |  |
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British Supreme Court: Belfast bakery did not discriminate
Can a bakery refuse to make a cake with the message "Support gay marriage"?
After a complaint by Gareth Lee about a bakery in Belfast British judges rules that this would be a discriminating act.
Daniel and Amy McArthur, the owners of the bakery,
did not want to produce a cake with the image of Bert and Ernie, and a Queerspace logo, since this would have been in sharp contrast with their religious belief. Daniel McArthur declared
that creating such a cake would have been contrary to the content of the Bible. After many years of legal battle, the British Supreme Court ruled on Ocotber 10, 2018,that the
objections of the bakery couple were not based on excluding Lee as a customer because of his sexual orientation - that would have been a clear example of discrimination.
Therefore, their refusal was within the legal boundaries,
the Supreme Court ruled.
Lee commented that this showed that Northern Ireland did not grant gays the same rights as in the other parts of the United Kingdom.
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Dutch activist passed away
In October 2018 we got the sad news of the death of Nettie Groeneveld,
former representative from Abvakabo to several international conferences. Read more here. |
Stockholm Europride symposium
In 2018, Stockholm (and Gothenburg) (Sweden) hosted the EuroPride/WestPride festivities from 27th of July - 19th of August.
The Swedish trade union organisation Vision organised a follow-up conference to the Amsterdam Europride conference in 2016 and the Madrid World Pride conference in 2017.
More on the Pride itself can be found here.
Information from Vision can be found here. |  |
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| ITUC speaking out on International Youth Day
On the 12th of August, 2018, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) issued a statement published a statement declaring its solidarity with youth workers,
but also with other groups, including LGBTI+ workers. Read more
here. |
Pension justice for British trans woman
When is a trans woman entitled to get a pension, if the legal ages for pension differ depending on gender?
This was the basic question for the European Court of Justice in a case of a British trans woman. The verdict in June, 2018, was surpringly clear.
Read about it here.
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Trans people no longer qualified as having a mental disorder
The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued in June, 2018, an update of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the so-called ICD-11, in which
- based on current scientific research - 'gender incongruence'
has been deleted from the mental disorders spectrum. ICD-11 does mention the condition, but under the chapter 'sexual health conditions'.
This is because transgender people should not be considered as having a mental disorder, but (may) have significant and specific health care needs.
Read the WHO news and
watch the video on youtube with the WHO statement. |
Sex workers document
Female or male, legal or illegal, sex workers exist in every country of the world. They are people, they are workers.
In June, 2018, the European branch of ILGA (the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) launched a position paper on LGBTI sex workers.
Read it here.
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