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CUPE Ontario’s Pink Triangle Committee recognizes the collective strength of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersex and queer/questioning (LGBTTIQ) workers and the challenges these members face in the workplace and in our union. The committee is working to organize these workers and their allies. Elected at the Human Rights Conference in November 2007, the committee is preparing a number of campaigns aimed at eliminating transphobia and homophobia in the workplace, the union, and the broader community.
The CUPE Ontario Pink Triangle Committee has worked on:
Sponsored the University of Toronto forum, The Sound of Hate: Where sexual orientation, race, dancehall music and human rights collide, held in February 2008.
Supported the work of the Trans Human Rights Campaign, a project of the Trans Health Lobby Group of the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario (CLGRO).
Supported Egale’s Safe Schools Campaign by attending the Rouge fundraising event in April 2008.
Planned 2008 pride events around the province.
Supported Opening the Closet on Aging, a conference presented by the Senior Pride Network in April 2008.
Over the next two years, the Pink Triangle Committee will:
Push the equality agenda at local, divisional, and national levels by working collectively with all CUPE Ontario’s equity committees to build on the momentum of the January 2008 Equity Retreat.
Develop a profile of LGBTTIQ workers within CUPE by surveying the provincial membership in order to identify structural barriers preventing these members’ full inclusion and participation in their workplaces and in the union.
Develop strategies for closeted members to safely participate in union activities without hostility from homophobic members, and create safer environments where people are comfortable to be themselves without the threat of violence by working collectively with district councils.
Continue to combat transphobia and homophobia through member education and direct action.
Raise awareness of same-sex partner abuse as it impacts CUPE members’ well-being and mental health and their involvement in workplace and union activities.
Challenge homophobic blood and organ donation policies of the federal government, which target individuals based on sexual orientation rather than unsafe sexual practices.
Through these, and other activities, the Pink Triangle committee will raise the profile of LGBTTIQ members and the value of our collective strength. We are committed to working with locals from across the province to create positive spaces where all members are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of gender and sexual orientation.
Executive Board Representative: Denise Hammond
Staff Representative: Joanne Martin
