---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 00:28:52 -0400
From: Gary Kinsman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: The first CLC conference on lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
The first ever "Solidarity and Pride" Conference for Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual Trade Unionists and Our Allies of the Canadian Labour Congress
took place in Ottawa Octrober 15-17th. Three-hundred and forty lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgendered and some supportive heterosexual union
activists (more than three times the number originally expected)
participated in a series of workshops on "making the links," "activism,"
workplace issues and negotiating for our rights, current legal battles,
"finding our histories" (at which a network for recovering queer union
histories was initiated), and negotiating benefits along with a cabaret
and popular theatre. This was the first time that I am aware of that a
central labour federation in any country had organized a lesbian, gay,
bisexual conference.
A highlight of the conference on the first night was a showing of US
gay historian Allan Berube's wonderful slideshow on the history of the
Marine Cooks and Stewards Union from the years of the depression to the
cold war titled "No Red-Baiting! No Race-Baiting! No Queen Baiting!."
This inspiring slideshow gave us all a glimpse into progressive union
history where the struggles against class exploitation were intimately
associated with struggles against racism and heterosexism.
Although some participants felt that there was too much stress on
group process excercises at the beginning of the conference by the end
of the conference it was clear that this first conference of its kind
had brought together hundreds of activists who were not only union
activists, and lesbian and gay activists, but also were profoundly
committed to the struggle against racism and sexism. While not all
unions were represented (there were only a small number of Steelworkers
present) and some were more present than others (CUPE had a good
prescence) there were many occassions for networking and strategizing
throughout the conference. Conference participants took part in a
series of demonstrations -- in support of human rights in Columbia, in
support of Mary Ross who has experienced discrimination in Sudbury
because of her sexual orientation from LOEB (a grocery store chain), and
also in support of employment equity programs.
In the final plenary there were motions in support of the Windsor
Day of Action against the Harris agenda, in support of Ontario teachers,
in support of Mary Ross, Nancy Nicol (who has experienced discrimination
on the basis of her lesbian activism, feminism and socialism aat York
University), and in support of Joseph Stelpflug who is a teacher fired
for being gay from the York Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board.
Many called for the conference to be an annual event and some raised
concerns that it was not a policy making conference that could submit
motions to the next CLC conference. The final plenary was quite
energizing and people also committed themsleves to trying to involve
more people of colour in the next conference and to strengthening the
struggle against racism.
The conference was a very important experience for me. It has been a
long time since I have been at such a large progressive conference with
activists committed not only to the fight for lesbian and gay rights but
who saw this as linked to the struggle against class exploitation,
racism and sexism. It showed very concretely that hundreds of lesbian,
gay, and bisexual activists are playing an important part in the union
movement (even though this is not always recognized) across Canada and
Quebec (and there were a number of delegates from Quebec). Queer
activists are playing an important part in broadening out, expanding,
and transforming the union movement so that it takes up all of the
forms of oppression in this society. I hope the second "Solidarity and
Pride" conference gets off the ground soon.
In solidarity,
gary kinsman
