John Williams, Socialist Party Wales LGBTQ+ convenor
The Cardiff trade union movement celebrated trans day of visibility, with a demo outside the HMRC building in Cardiff. The event had a fantastic broad range of speakers, all highlighting the different personal struggles of growing up trans, as well as the solidarity from the trade union movement.
What was evident through all the speeches was complete anger at Keir Starmer’s Labour. Another PCS activist said: “Many young people have experienced 14 years of a Tory government… now it looks like we’ve got another Tory government for the next five years”. Labour has now also reversed its previous support for trans rights, including the right to self-determination.
Fighting for liberation
And this is why Socialist Party members who spoke called for a new workers’ party, where those fighting for LGBTQ+ liberation could participate. Quite frankly, we were pushing at an open door with our ideas at this demo.
Many speakers touched on how LGBTQ+phobia is pushed as an attempt to divide the working class and poor, instead of going after the real enemy – the capitalist class. It’s them who are underfunding and causing a crisis in all the public services we need, due to profit and greed.
The Cardiff demo was initiated by members of PCS Proud – the LGBTQ+ group for members of civil service union PCS. Some are Socialist Party members. It was endorsed by Cardiff Trades Union Council, Cardiff County Unison, and Unite Wales.
The demo was also supported by Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC), who’ve been very busy in the last few weeks campaigning against Labour’s disability cuts. This will have an enormous negative impact on trans people who are disabled, who are already being targeted by the government and right-wing press.
Trade unions stand for all
Katrine Williams, from the PCS Wales executive, gave a passionate speech following on from the PCS Wales conference, which enshrined trans rights into its constitution. She said that the “trade union movement is crucial in fighting for equality rights, and against all cuts. Unity is strength.”
One woman gave a moving speech on how she’s supporting her trans son since coming out, pointing out the disgusting way the media targets and bullies a group of people that make up less than 1% of the population. She was also dismayed how the Welsh Labour government had postponed an education toolkit for teachers about these issues.
There are now discussions in the Cardiff trade union movement about a LGBTQ+ trade union network, linked to the need for a socialist society. Socialist Party members will be at the forefront of that work, as we struggle for a world free of oppression.
