Hello
We received this statement today from the GMB:
GMB’s Central Executive Council - the lay member governing body of GMB - met last week and discussed our joint project working with Mumsnet.
On the back of a number of concerns from members and equality activists, the CEC voted not to proceed with our scheduled Q&A sessions.
The intention of the sessions was to reach out to working parents at a time of great insecurity - the last thing we would ever want is to cause harm or upset to our LGBT+ members, many of whom may be parents themselves. We of course apologise for any offence this may have caused.
GMB is a proud and staunch ally in the fight for trans rights. We are a member-led union that has a history of fighting for equality for all. As we look forward to Pride events this month and next, we continue to stand in solidarity with all of our LGBT+ siblings.
Justine has just sent this response (John is the acting General Secretary of the GMB):
Dear John,
We are incredibly disappointed that the GMB has taken the decision to cancel their activity on Mumsnet. We’ve wholeheartedly supported and campaigned for LGBT rights for 20 years, and our millions of users include trans people, gay people, and parents of trans and gay children, who will be bewildered by the GMB’s stance.
It’s ironic that the GMB itself, and the activists who target Mumsnet, continue to use and support Twitter and Facebook, whose moderation standards are lamentable compared to ours. The outright, hateful homophobia, racism, misogyny and transphobia that we see (and report) on these platforms wouldn’t stand for more than a couple of minutes on Mumsnet. We can only conclude the animus against Mumsnet is motivated by the fact that we are a site used overwhelmingly by women.
In that light it’s even more disappointing that the GMB, having asked Mumsnet users in precarious employment situations to share their questions, has left these women’s questions unanswered. The failure to stand in solidarity with these workers has truly surprised us. Fortunately there are other organisations that are able and willing to step up and help - because while Twitter wars rage on, parents in badly-paid, insecure work are suffering through the worst economic crisis of a generation.
Best regards,
Justine