Government is cutting vital sources of support for victims of discrimination

Responding to the announcement today (Tuesday) that the government is to cut the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) budget, outsource its helpline and scale back the public sector equalities duty, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Today's announcement is bad news for people facing discrimination and mistreatment as they will have fewer places to turn to for support.
"Outsourcing the EHRC helpline will mean the loss of specialist support for the thousands of people who call in every month.
"And just a day after the EHRC investigation showed that the public sector equality duty is helping to build the evidence needed for sound policies, ministers are looking to run it down.
"These cuts will mean more bad policy making which will further alienate those who are already bearing the brunt of the government's austerity programme."

Register NOW for the 2012 Cutting Edge Consortium Conference 21st April

The 3rd Faith & Belief, Homophobia, Transphobia & Human Rights Conference 2012 will take place on Saturday, 21 April 2012, at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL from 10am until 5pm. Its specific theme will be: LGBT Lives: Achieving our equality - challenging faith-based homophobia & transphobia.


With continuing controversy over LGBT access to goods and services, issues around employment and education rights, threats to abolish the Human Rights Act, and attempts to undermine equality legislation through faith-based exemptions we see false dichotomies have been created between people of faith and LGBT communities, ignoring the the diversity which exists within faith communities and across society. The 2012 Conference is planned not simply to repeat, but to build upon the innovative experience of past conferences with plenary speakers and workshops addressing the following areas:

• ensuring equal access to health & public services
• ending religious exemptions in employment
• promoting inclusive education
• making schools safe for LGBT young people
• celebrating our relationships
• accepting the right to found a family


The keynote speakers for the 2012 Conference are Nicholas Holtam, the Bishop of Salisbury, Aidan O’Neill QC from Matrix Chambers, and Angela Eagle MP, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. Andrew Copson from the British Humanist Association and Sarah Veale, Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC, Phyllis Opoku-Gymah PCS and Black PRIDE, and Jennifer Moses from NASUWT the education Union will also address the Conference. Details of more speakers and the programme for the day will be announced soon.
Please see the Conference page on our website www.cuttingedgeconsortium.co.uk for further information and online Conference registration


or contact CEC cuttingedgeconsortium1@googlemail.com or return the registration form to CEC PO Box 24632 London E9 6XF

1,000 hits on the blog!

It is always reassuring to know that what we do is interesting to people out there in the wide world. We have recently had our 1,000th hit on this blog, no mean feat considering the amount of news and information resources there are in the world today. So, thanks to everyone who supports this blog by visiting us. We shall try and keep you up to data with the work of the TUC in the equalities field.

While a high proportion of hits come from the UK, we have substantial visits from the USA, Russia and Germany. You are all  very welcome.

We are also checking out how you all access the blog and we are seeing increasing  hits from mobile devices such as Blackberries, Ipods and Ipads. My favourite though - who would access the site from a Nintendo Wii? Someone has!

Daily Telegraph Poll on Gay marriage

Folks
You might like to air an opinion (positive I hope) as the Telegraph is running an online poll...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9092729/Lord-Carey-government-does-not-have-the-right-to-legalise-gay-marriage.html

... and / or circulate to friends or colleagues

Stand with Jean Claude now

Message from Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, GMB Shout! Committee Member and Director of UK Black Pride:

To GMB Shout! Committee and Friends,
I met with Alice Nkom on behalf of UK Black Pride in October and it was a real privilege. UK Black Pride (http://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/), Justice for Gay Africans (http://www.jfga.org.uk/) and other organisations agreed to work with her on her campaign for justice.
All Out has just posted the following: We just received the below message from Jean-Claude and 6 other Cameroonians - imprisoned just for being gay. They are silenced in their own country - but you can help them reclaim their voice. Stand with Jean Claude now: http://allout.org/cameroon 

January 3, 2011
Although you've accompanied us with a lot of sadness, you've especially shown us a lot of kindness, love and determination throughout this year. We exhort you to never give up in to the discouragement and to never weaken in your mobilization for us and for the LGBT cause.
Because your support represents for LGBT in Cameroon in general and specially for us who are in prison - the HOPE. The HOPE to be one day, released from the PRISON in which we've been thrown, but also the HOPE that one day, LGBT people can walk quite freely in Cameroon, without any humiliation.
We wish you, from the bottom of our heart, to be of happy, healthy and that the coming year be full of promises and success.

Happy New Year from Cameroon,
Jean Claude Roger MBEDE (With Barrister Alice N'Kom on the picture),
Singha Jonas, Ndome Ndome Frankie, Ombwa Joseph Magloire, Tiomela
Lontsie Emma, Ntamack Nicolas, and Ntsama Séraphin.
Please take some time out to sign the petition, email others, share it on Facebook and tweet it: http://allout.org/cameroon 

Kind Regards,
Phyll

New support for LGBT people at work on International Day Against Homophobia

The TUC has published new guidance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people at work to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia today (Tuesday).

The report – LGBT Equality at Work – covers changes in the law for LGBT people, workplace issues and training, recognising diversity, bullying and harassment, and the public sector equality duty.
It also includes guidance on challenging prejudice and discrimination, and promoting equality at work.
International Day Against Homophobia is held on 17 May each year, and the TUC is urging union members and the general public to use this day to remember LGBT people who have been killed around the world simply because of their sexuality.
Homosexuality is still illegal in 77 countries around the world, and in seven countries women, men and children are punished for their sexuality with death sentences.
In January in Uganda David Kato, a gay rights campaigner who sued a local newspaper which outed him as homosexual, was been beaten to death. The Ugandan parliament recently attempted to re-introduce an anti-homosexuality bill that could sentence LGBT Ugandans to death for “aggravated homosexuality”. There has been mass international lobbying against the bill – which has now been dropped – and the UK government has told the Uganda government of its outrage.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “While unions have successfully campaigned for equal rights for LGBT people in the UK, around the world the situation is sadly very different.
“In many countries LGBT people face harassment, intimidation, violence, ostracism, hate crimes – and even death, just because of their sexuality.
“International Day Against Homophobia is an opportunity for unions to highlight the suffering of LGBT people all around the world, and demand that the way they are treated is improved – both in the workplace and in the wider community.”
To mark International Day Against Homophobia, the Cutting Edge Consortium is running a seminar this evening (Tuesday) at the TUC’s headquarters in London on how the government’s free schools and academies programme could threaten LGBT equality.


The new publication LGBT Equality at Work is available at: www.tuc.org.uk/equality/tuc-19413-f0.cfm

Only Hours to stop Uganda's Gay Death Penalty

In a few hours, the Ugandan Parliament may vote on a brutal new law that carries the death penalty for homosexuality. Thousands of Ugandans could face execution -- just for being gay.
We've helped stop this bill before, and we can do it again. After a massive global outcry last year, Ugandan President Museveni blocked the bill's progress. But political unrest is mounting in Uganda, and religious extremists in Parliament are hoping confusion and violence in the streets will distract the international community from a second push to pass this hate-filled law. We can show them that the world is still watching. If we block the vote for two more days until Parliament closes, the bill will expire forever.
We have no time to lose. Almost half a million of us have already joined the call -- let’s get to one million voices against Uganda's gay death penalty in the next 12 hours - click here to take action:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_homophobia_petition/?vl