News & Events Archived Newsletters Pride in Print Archived Pride in Print 2002 Summer 2002Summer 2002
It's that colourful season again – a time for us to take to the streets and celebrate our lives, our loves, our selves!
The CAW participates in Pride events across the country -- from St. John's to Victoria to Yellowknife. Over the years the pride parade corporate sponsorship has increased, and although labour activists were successful in winning a Corporate Code of Conduct for Pride (no union busting, union interfering or discriminatory employers can participate in pride), we still have to ensure that pride sticks to its initial mandate. This year in Toronto (June 30th) we will join with a coalition of anti-globalization and anti-capitalist community groups and unions. Our dual themes are "politicize your pride" and "people before profits".
Which brings us to the issue of the politics of pride. From the sidelines the parade looks outrageous, fun, and perhaps a bit ridiculous. And it is that. But it's also a lot more than that. In many places the parades are so much fun that onlookers don't realize how political they are (hmmm - politics - fun?).
The pride parade is a massive demonstration of
collective power. It is one day of the year where lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender activists can walk together without fear
of violence, harassment, or abuse. A day where we hold hands in
public, and yes, even kiss. A day where our bodies, which are
repressed, closeted, denied and shamed, are actually celebrated. A
day where we fight back against electric shock therapy, bigoted
employers, hostile co-workers, AIDS/HIV discrimination, disease and
death, tremendously high suicide rates and smear campaigns. A day
when transgender people, who fought on the frontlines at Stonewall
and who are still among the most marginalized in our society -
including within the LGBT community - are admired s/heroes. A day
when the poverty experienced by many in our community who are
denied jobs, or fired, or harassed into quitting must be
recognized. A day when the police, who regularly bash, intimidate,
and turn a blind eye when members of our community are harassed and
murdered, have to stand on the sidelines and witness our power. A
day, unlike any other day, where we are not isolated, where we are
the dominant culture.
This is the kind of power that is transformative and can only come through collective action. That's tremendously political and tremendously powerful. Is it a left politics? Not as much as we'd like it to be -- but we're there to push it. Is it all that we want from a demonstration? Nope, but neither are most of the other political adventures we join with in the broader community -- and so we work to influence.
Our fightback is creative, it is fun, and it's loud (in every sense). It doesn't look like any other demonstration. Perhaps that's partly why we're able to attract over 3/4 of a million people in cities like Toronto.
Marc Hall (the gay teen who battled the Durham Catholic School Board to bring his boyfriend to the prom) gave our union an incredible opportunity – and we took that up with courage and conviction. We can be tremendously proud of our involvement and the leadership of Local 222 and our National Union. We have LGBT CAW members across the country who are now saying "my union" for the first time. And, the 10% of our overall Canadian population that is lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender feels great about our union. At a celebration of the Marc Hall victory, our union, and Buzz Hargrove in particular, received several loud rounds of applause.
Unions, and our union in particular, are recognized as major players in the fight for LGBT rights. Nowhere in the world have unions pushed as hard as they have in Canada, and consequently LGBT Canadians have more rights than citizens of nearly every other country in the world. We belong at Pride because we're leaders.
In February the American Academy of Pediatrics announced its support for the rights of gay men and lesbians to adopt their partners' children. "This is really about the needs of children", said Dr. Joseph Hagan. Adoption ensures that the children of lesbian and gay couples have the same rights and protections as children of heterosexual couples.
Hargrove demands action on Hate Crimes Bill
CAW President Buzz Hargrove has joined the LGBT community appeal
to have hate propaganda directed against LGBT people included in
the Criminal Code definition of hate propaganda. In a letter to
(then) Justice. Minister Anne McClelland, Hargrove writes: "As you
know, it will continue to be legal to spread hate propaganda
against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in Canada
until the federal hate propaganda laws are amended. Hatred and
propaganda are what led to Aaron Webster's death, and hatred and
propaganda are what lead to the countless other reported and
unreported acts of harassment, discrimination and violence against
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of our society."
Hargrove urged the Justice Minister to "make the necessary
amendments to the Criminal Code, without further delays, without
awaiting further brutality".
A number of CAW Caucuses also wrote to the Justice Minister following the Stanley Park murder – and London Area Caucus member Stephanie Johnstone's letter was published in a Vancouver newspaper! To make your voice heard on this issue, write to the new federal Justice Minister, Martin Cauchon, c/o House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario.
CAW Social Justice Fund supports LGBT Community
The CAW Social Justice Fund has approved a donation to the Lesbian
Gay Bi Youth Line, which offers telephone crisis counselling and
referral services to teenagers throughout Ontario.
At their March Board Meeting, the Social Justice Fund also voted to sponsor a delegate from a developing country to attend the Workers Out! International Conference for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Trade Unionists. The conference will take place in conjunction with the Gay Games in Sydney, Australia in the fall.
Carol Phillips, Director of the International Department, says "The trade union movement has been a leader on workplace rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in Canada; we can support the fundamental rights of workers in other countries by providing opportunities for workers from the South to organize on LGBT issues."
| The CAW will be there: on the streets, on
the sidewalks, on floats, carrying CAW, Pride, or Flying Squad
flags and making merry. Please join us! |
Here's a list of events still to come (congratulations to Waterloo, Halton, St. Catherine's who have already celebrated pride):
Moncton, NB: June 16-22 www.monctongay.com
York Region Pride: June 17-23 www.gaycanada.com/prideyorkregion/
Hamilton Pride: June 15-16 www.gayhamilton.com
Saskatoon: June 23-30 www.gaycanada.com/saskatoon.pride
Nanaimo: June 29 www.nanaimopride.org
Toronto Pride Week: June 24-30, Dyke March: June 29th, Pride
Parade: June 30th, www.torontopride.com
Victoria: July 1-7 www.victoriapride.com
Surrey BC: July 6 www.members.shaw.ca/outinsurrey
London Pride: July 12-14 www.pride.london.on.ca
Ottawa-Gatineau: July 14 www.gayottawa.com
Halifax: July 14 - 21: www.halifaxpride.org
Montreal: July 27: www.diverscite.org
Windsor Pride: July 21-28, www.windsorpride.com
Vancouver: July 27 - Aug 4 www.vanpride.bc.ca
Sarnia- Port Huron Pride: August 10-12 www.gaybluewater.com
| "We can't distort and corrupt gay culture to adapt to bigotry." Sarah Schulman, lesbian writer, 1988 |
CAW Collective Bargaining & Political Action Convention
From May 7 - 10th, 2002, CAW more than 1,000 CAW delegates and guests from coast to coast gathered to discuss and debate our collective bargaining agenda for the next three years. Convention delegates from all sectors (health care, major auto, retail, transportation, airlines, aerospace, autoparts, hospitality, manufacturing, etc.) agree together on key issues that we're bringing to the table in upcoming rounds of bargaining. A major focus of this year's convention was work time – debating mandatory vacations, guarantees for part-time workers, increased vacation time, reducing overtime, etc. The convention document (available on our CAW web page) outlined a number of key human rights issues where we still need to make gains in bargaining. The document included bargaining priorities specific to the LGBT community:
As a union we have a long history of pushing issues forward in negotiations so that they eventually become law. Since our last bargaining convention, the federal government and the provinces have finally granted same-sex couples virtually the same rights as common-law couples. There are still some outstanding issues, such as immigration laws, adoption rights, and hate crimes, and we continue to press for change.
Our collective agreements need to:
Today, our union is seen as one of the leading unions in Canada demanding equality (in the workplace and in the union) for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members. We have come a long way on these issues in a short time. We have much more to do.
At the Convention the document: Collective Bargaining Checklist on LGBT Issues was available for delegates. This is an excellent resource for reviewing your collective agreement with a view to making improvements. The document includes new model language on LGBT issues. For a copy, check out Pride (under ‘What We Do' on our CAW home page: www.caw.ca)
NEW!
CAW Local Union Pride Standing Committees
Local 1285 (Ontario) and Local 4004 (Quebec) both proudly announce
that they have created new CAW Pride (1285) / Pink Triangle &
Human Rights (4004) Standing Committees. Congratulations to the
LGBT activists, leadership and members who made this happen!
Vancouver Gender Clinic Victim of BC Health Care
Cuts
Massive cuts to health care and social programs by the Campbell
government in British Columbia will effect everyone in the
province. One of the many, many programs on the chopping block is
the Vancouver Gender Clinic. This will be most particularly
devastating for those patients who are in mid-stream sex
re-assignment, who will have a difficult if not impossible time
accessing files and getting referrals. Services in BC will now be
like that in Alberta and much of the rest of the country –
coverage only via your own GP and specialists. Even if the Clinic
doesn't have to close down completely, their services will be
undoubtedly be drastically reduced by layoffs.
The Campbell government is following the pattern established by Mike Harris in Ontario, where one of the first health care services de-listed by the provincial government when it came to office was sex re-assignment surgery. The Harris government predicted all too correctly that this was an easy cut because there wasn't significant public support for trans members of our society. This offense left trans members in limbo, unable to afford to complete transition. This is a gross denial of dignity and greatly increases the risk of violence and harassment directed at trans people. To demand that funding for services for trans members be reinstated in BC, write to: Colin Hansen, Minister of Health (colin.hansen.mla@leg.bc.ca) and cc:Joy.MacPhail.Office@leg.bc.ca (NDP); Health Critic Liberal Party; Roy Romanow).
To demand a re-listing of trans services in Ontario, write to: Tony Clement, Minister of Health, Queen's Park, Ontario (cc: Health Critic, NDP; Health Critic Liberal Party: Roy Romanow).
High School News
Marc Hall's case has drawn our attention once again to the
situation faced by LGBT youth in high schools. The same week that
Marc's case was being debated by the Catholic School Board in
Durham, a teenager in London, Ontario was badly beaten after a high
school dance because he was perceived to be gay. Three teenagers
have been arrested. The school principal maintains that the school
doesn't tolerate hate-motivated crimes.
Most of us will recall from our own experiences that high school was not a safe place for LGBT youth. The youth LGBT suicide rate is disproportionately high, and the pressures for kids to conform remains.
Rainbow Youth Conference
The CAW recently supported the Rainbow Youth Conference at Guelph
University. In our letter supporting the conference, we said: "As
labour activists, we share much of the same agenda as described in
your conference outline (concerns about poverty, homelessness, free
trade & privatization, neo-liberal economic policies
environmental degradation, violence and harassment, etc.). We are a
social union, committed to improving workers' lives not just in the
workplace, but in our communities more generally. We know that
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists have been part of
our protest movements (probably in disproportionately high numbers)
over the years, but it is only in recent years that the presence of
LGBT activists has been identifiable as such. Today the
anti-globalization protests, environmental movements, and the
growing anti-war movement all have a visible LGBT component -- most
of them young. As a union it is important to us that we foster a
visible inclusiveness in this generation of activists."
Homophobic States defeat ILGA's bid for UN Consultative
Status
On Tuesday April 30th, the Economic and Social Council of the
United Nations voted by 29 to 17 to reject the International
Lesbian and Gay Association's application for consultative status.
ILGA's Secretary-General said: "this is a sad day for human rights
at the United Nations. Governments who have no interest in
observing the fundamental principles of human rights have
triumphed. The homophobic position of so many countries only
emphasizes yet again the need for energetic and effective
campaigning around the world for the rights of lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender persons."
| "Wherever, therefore it has been established that it is shameful to be involved in homosexual relationships, this is due to evil on the part of the legislators, to despotism on the part of the rulers, and to cowardice on the part of the governed." Plato (427 ? BC - 347 BC) |
Video: Re-writing the Script: A Love Letter to Our
Families
This documentary film (shown at our conference) provides an inside
look at coming out stories of LGBT members in South Asian families.
This is an excellent resource for Human Rights Committees,
Workshops, and family viewing. To order a copy, contact the Toronto
Women's Bookstore: (416) 922-8744.
CAUCUS CORNER
CAW OSHAWA & AREA Caucus
We're looking for sisters and brothers of our union in the Oshawa,
Peterborough and Toronto East area to work with us to challenge
homophobia in our workplaces, communities and governments. For
those who are willing to help in the battle for change please leave
a message for the LGBT Caucus at Local 222, (905)723-1187 ext. 226
or e-mail: lgbtoshawa@hotmail.com
WESTERN REGION PRIDE CAUCUS
The CAW Westcoast Pride Committee meets monthly. Our committee has
members from the airlines, telecommunications, service, hotel, and
public transit, to name a few. We're proud to be part of the CAW's
coalition working on Human Rights. You can contact us by leaving a
message at the CAW Regional Office in Vancouver at
1-800-665-3553.
CAW LONDON AND AREA WORKING WITH PRIDE CAUCUS
(LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDERED MEMBERS)
Meetings are held the second Sunday of each month. "An
effort to maintain Confidentiality and Create a Safe work
Environment". Please contact: CAW London Office (519)
433-7211 ext. 227 (Deb Cadman's office) or by e-mail cawpride@yahoo.ca
CAW WINDSOR & AREA LGBT Caucus
The CAW Windsor Area LGBT Caucus consists of over a dozen dynamic
activists who bring energy, humour and ideas to meetings that are
never boring. Together the caucus supports LGBT issues and is
active in not only Windsor's Pride but in other Prides as well.
Caucus meetings are held every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 8:00pm
at the CAW Regional Office, 2345 Central Ave. We encourage any CAW
LGBT members to attend. CAW Regional Office – 519-944-5866
(Marg Clare's office) or e-mail – lgbtcawwindsor@yahoo.ca Web
site – www.geocities.com/caw_lgbt_caucus
GOLDEN HORSESHOE REGIONAL LGBT CAUCUS
Greetings! We founded our caucus following the 1st CAW Working
with Pride Conference. Strong dedication and backbone has proven to
be our signature mark. Contact us at LGBT@Gay.com, or by calling (905)
845-2511 ext.2154.
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