A key focus of Ms Egan’s speech was the union’s position on advocating for the union’s trans members in a hostile political climate.
“As a union we have always stood for equality – for women, for Black members, for disabled members, for LGBT+ members, for all who face discrimination.
“And I want to be absolutely clear: I stand proudly and unequivocally in defence of LGBT+ rights. And I am a proud trans ally. Equality is not negotiable. And discrimination in any form has no place in our union, in our workplaces or in society.
“Your conference last year, and our national delegate conference, reaffirmed our commitment to trans rights. And we needed that clarity, because the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act has had a profound impact on our trans, non‑binary, and gender‑diverse members.
“We cannot hide from it. We cannot pretend it doesn’t matter. But we can fight to change the law when it comes to legal gender recognition.
“Nobody should have their dignity taken away because of the sex they were deemed to be at birth. Too many countries have moved forward on gender recognition while the UK falls behind. That must change and UNISON can be at the front leading that change and making that change happen.
“Let me say this from the heart: there is no contradiction between the rights of one worker and another. The only contradiction is between workers and employers. And no stroke of a pen in Westminster will silence us or weaken our defence of the working class – a working class that is diverse, made up of people of all backgrounds, nationalities, and genders.
“Our UNISON branches turned out in force to support trans rights when the ruling was handed out with one clear message: when trans rights are under attack, we stand up and we fight back.
https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2026/02/when-working-class-women-organise-nothing-can-stop-us/
The speech itself is quite long, but I thought worth highlighting this bit.