Thank you Sandie Peggie. The unions have been complicit in all of this. I’ve left mine partly because I know they do not represent me. I was part of a small union but the LGBT contingent seemed to have the loudest voice. In retrospect I think that this was the most active subset of the union because it was welcoming, social and fun. Unlike the disability and what is still referred to as BAME interest groups. It’s led to over representation of LGBT interests in the workplace in my profession and the size of the subgroup has given it greater access to policy making within the organisation. I fully support lesbian, gay and transgender people being represented and heard within the union but in mine, the rainbow lanyards overwhelmed the rest.
It really didn’t matter when this group was focused on sexuality but the dominance of the trans and non-binary lobby has had such a negative and detrimental impact on the voices of women in my old union. I was terribly sad to leave but it simply didn’t represent me anymore.