Ei-iE

On 19 July, the LGBTI rights’ caucus, prior the 8th Education International (EI) World Congress in Bangkok, brought together union leaders from around the world. Recalling that all forms of equality are union business, the two thematic discussions focussed on: “Make No Assumptions: Building Support for LGBTI Rights within Education...

The first caucus in the runup to the Education International Congress focused on LGBTI rights and how to support them through alliances with like-minded groups towards a common discourse and goal.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert focusing on protection against violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).

Despite a backlash against the so-called gender ideology promoted by conservative organisations, the Costa Rican Education Union (Sindicato de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores de la Educación Costarricense - SEC) has been actively campaigning to promote the rights of LGBT teachers and students.

In the USA, LGBTQ Pride Month is celebrated in June every year to honour the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. Pride Month celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. To mark the occasion, NEA published the stories of six educators who are out in the classroom.

The Education International’s Asia-Pacific office and the Council of Pacific Education (COPE) organised in Fiji a professional development workshop, “Teachers unions for inclusion: embracing diversity and promoting safe schools”.

The annual evaluation and planning meeting of the Philippines’s women’s network bringing together Education International’s affiliates in this country has taken stock of gender and diversity issues and reinforced the education unions’ capacities and advocacy skills.

The capacity-building workshop on “Teachers’ unions for inclusion: embracing diversity and promoting safe schools” has provided a forum for Education International’s Nepalese affiliates to discuss and develop tools to influence national policies on inclusive education and safe schools for all; students and teachers.

Educators from Education International’s Filipino affiliates have crafted action plans aiming to embrace diversity and promote safe schools for all, including lesbian, gay, transgender and intersex teachers and learners, as a follow-up to the 2017 Resolution on Advancing LGBTI Rights of Education International’s Asia-Pacific region.

“Education International has been one of the world's leading unions in the fight for the respect of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex workers,” Education International's Executive Board member Daniel Lafrenière reminded at a top trade union event.

The international trade union movement is strongly committed to the realization of all human rights, to promoting equality and solidarity within trade unions and in all societies. Unions play a key role in promoting the human rights and social inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in...

Despite significant improvements in recent decades, homophobic harassment and prejudicial treatment continues to span all occupations, including education. The presence of homophobic behavior and attitudes, in all regions, affects the workplace culture which in turn creates hostile and unsafe environments for lesbian and gay teachers.

2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Last year, the 5th Congress of Education International reiterated its commitment to promote for all people and in all nations, peace, democracy, social justice and equality.

EI affiliate the NTEU is a member of WorkersOut! - a collective of unions and union members who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and intersex (LGBTI) working together to raise the profile and importance of union membership across the LGBTI community.