Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

PSAC members marched with Pride in Vancouver on Sunday August 1st.  This year, the Multi-Union Pride entry, which won the prize for “Captivating Community Cluster”, took inspiration from Vancouver Pride’s “educate, liberate and celebrate” theme. MUP educated last year, liberated this year, and next year they’ll celebrate!

PSAC BC also hosted a Think Public booth at the Pride Festival at Sunset Beach. PSAC members and the public stopped by to play “Spot The Public Service” and learn about the work PSAC members do. We also gathered over 300 signatures on our long form census petition.

Read more for some photos …

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PSAC BC has been out and about this summer promoting our Think Public, Workplace Watch and other campaigns.  Here are some photos from the Surrey Pride Festival at Holland Park last July 11th.

The deadline for applications to attend the PSAC Pride Conference, be held March 26 to 28, 2010 in Toronto is January 20th. For more information, and online application, visit the national website.

The deadline for submission and registration for the 2010 PSAC National Pride Conference that will be held March 26 to 28, 2010 at the Toronto Hilton Hotel, Toronto, Ontario has been extended to January 20th, 2010.

The objectives of the 2010 PSAC National Pride Conference are to:

• Educate, politicize and mobilize PSAC GLBT members by making the links between union, workplace and community struggles to win, to protect and to promote GLBT rights;
• Enhance, support and promote inclusive GLBT self-organizing strategies in our Union and our workplaces;
• Strengthen solidarity amongst PSAC members, and to develop a strong collaboration between the PSAC, GLBT organizations and other human rights organizations.

PSAC members in good standing and who also identify as being from the GLBT communities may apply to this conference. Priority will be given to members who are active on GLBT issues in their union or workplace. Priority will also be given to community activist on GLBT issues. The selection of delegates will take into account representation such as Region, Component, language, gender and other equity groups.

For more information visit the national website.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, January 20, 2010 4:00 p.m. EST
RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION DEADLINE : Friday, January 20, 2010 4:00 p.m. EST

posted on behalf of Paul Jones, BC Regional Council

The season of PRIDE festivities for 2009 are over and as the PRIDE Coordinator for the PSACBC Regional Council I am sending a huge thank you to all my Brothers and Sisters who made this year’s events a success. In particular I would like to thank the Victoria crew of Mandi Schubert (CEIU, VIHRC Member), Michael Doerfler (CEIU, VIHRC Member), Virginia Vaillancourt (UVAE, S. Vancouver Island PSACBC Geographical Coordinator), all the PSAC members who came out to march and all the staff of the Victoria Regional office for their dedication and hard work to make this happen. Many thanks Mandi for the pictures! Although numbers are mute, there were approximately 25 -30K in attendance. The labour movement in general had a strong presence this year in Victoria’s Pride Parade.

• Report and photos from Victoria
• Report and photos from Vancouver

Vancouver Pride saw reported record numbers of attendees as well as floats. I would especially like to thank Angela Marafon (CRA Member, W. Fraser Valley PSACBC Regional Council Geographical Coordinator), Kay Sinclair (PSACBC REVP), Carol Pegura (EA to PSACBC REVP), the staff of the Vancouver Regional Office for the continuous support they have given to PRIDE and to all the Members who I saw while marching. Multi-Union Pride continues to bring our message to Vancouver and I would remiss not to thank the MUP Committee for all their hard work to make this happen yet again this year. Thanks too to all who attended the Pride Meet & Greet. It was a wonderful time!

Sincerely, Paul Jones, PRIDE Coordinator, PSACBC Regional Council

cheers to Paul Jones (BC Regional Council), Sue Neumann (CIU 20040), and Garry Fraser, PSAC Regional Rep. for these photos and report from Pride Day in Vancouver

Garry: Alison and I had our Think Public and our Student Campaign Booth set up at Sunset Beach.� It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze off the ocean, and we set up early. Carol Pegura donated hundreds of buttons to our booth and they were they a big hit.�We had thousands of people come by and talk and laugh, take a bandana, a fan or a button, talk about our Think Public Campaign. Alison would also talk with them about the Student� Campaign and she got hundreds of signatures for the petition.�BC Regional Council members Paul Jones and Angela Marafon both came by the booth after the parade and dropped off two magnificent sets of rainbow balloons which we tied down to our canopy – it looked incredible! Jack Layton dropped by and said hello and had a photo op with Angela.

Big thanks to Sue, for these photos of BSO’s marching in uniform for the first time in the parade, and Paul for the photos of the Multi-Union Pride group.

2009 Brings the PSACBC GLBT Members to Multi-Union Pride 2009.

Educate! Liberate! Celebrate! We are stronger in numbers!

Paul Jones, GLBT Regional Council Coordinator invites one and all to join us in this year�s �MULTI-UNION PRIDE� Celebration at this year�s Pride March in Vancouver.

• When: Sunday August 2, 2009
• Where: TBA (Marshal point on Robson Street)
• Time: 11:00 � 11:30 am

Swag provided. Wear your most colourful outfit! Afterall �� It’s a gay affair! Download a poster (pdf).

Cheers to Mandi Schubert (CEIU 20975) for forwarding these photos! PSAC and other Union members marched with “Pride in Labour” at the Victoria Pride Celebrations, Sunday July 5th.

For more about Pride in Victoria, visit victoriapridesociety.org and check out the Vancouver Sun news report.

Click for the photos …

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Celebrating 40 years of freedom!

Forty years ago, it was a crime in Canada to be gay. Homosexuality was severely punished, and the police regularly raided bars and saunas to arrest and prosecute gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and transgendered people.

In 1969, the Criminal Code was amended, and the state was officially thrown out of the bedroom: since then, our GLBT brothers and sisters can no longer be arrested and prosecuted because of who they choose to love.

• Join PSAC @ Pride this summer: in Victoria, July 5th and in Vancouver, August 2nd!

The fortieth anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality is an event that is important to remember and to celebrate. This historic landmark paved the way for the many significant reforms in labour law, in civil law and in human rights law that were won by GLBT activists over the years.

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2009 Brings the PSAC BC in support of the Victoria Labour Council as one of this year�s Victoria Pride Sponsors. This year is about the visual! We are stronger in numbers!

Paul Jones, GLBT Regional Council Coordinator invites one and all to join us in this year�s �PRIDE IN LABOUR� celebration at the Victoria Pride March: Sunday July 5, 2009. We’ll be meeting@11AM on Broad St (in front of Victoria Events Centre). Beads provided. Wear your most colorful outfit! �It is a gay affair!�

Download the poster (pdf).

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) stands in solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans communities in opposition to homophobia and transphobia.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. Until 1969, it was a crime to be gay or lesbian in this country. Over the last forty years, LGBT communities have made significant progress in Canada.

Indeed, after decades of political and legal battles, gays and lesbians have won important protections against discrimination in human rights, legal recognition of same sex couples and equal marriage. These legal victories would not have been possible without the dedicated work of thousands of activists and volunteers, and without the financial support of the Court Challenges Program.

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Public access to medically necessary health care is a human right

The Public Service Alliance of Canada denounces the Alberta government for de-listing sex re-assignment surgery (SRS) from its provincial health plan and urges Health Minister Ron Liepert to reinstate funding immediately.

On Wednesday, transsexual people in Calgary and Edmonton simultaneously filed a series of human rights complaints against the Government of Alberta. They maintain that the Alberta government is discriminating against transsexual people by cutting off public funding for a medically necessary procedure.

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via the Canadian Labour Congress

Today, IGLYO and ILGA launch the LGBT Youth World List – the first international network of its kind.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer young people from all over the world can sign up to send and receive messages with other activists.

• Visit iglyo.com for more information.

Members will be encouraged to share their experiences, ideas and expertise, and to work together to solve problems and run projects. The working languages of the list are English, Spanish and French.

Nanna Moe, IGLYO Board Member and Communication Officer, said: “This will create a global conversation about LGBT rights, allowing young people to make contact and work together in an international fight for respect. This project is just part of IGLYO’s venture beyond Europe.” And she continues, “The list is very much in line with IGLYO activities this year, since it is the 25th anniversary of IGLYO, which we are going to celebrate with a reunion and huge conference with international guest in Amsterdam in July”.

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PSAC staff and members, including REVP Kay Sinclair and BC Regional Council Coordinator Paul Jones, marched under the Multi-Union Pride banner at the Vancouver Pride Parade last Sunday. They joined with other Union members and over 120 other business and community groups to celebrate the diversity of the GLBT community while being cheered on by an estimated 1/2 million onlookers – the largest single day event in Vancouver’s history.

After the parade, summer students Ria and Jade hosted a �Public & Proud To Be� booth at the festival at Sunset Beach. They distributed Think Public! brochures, buttons, & flyers, and invited festival-goers to take action to defend quality public services by sending a postcard to their MP. Kudos, and much thanks to Karla Backer, Jennifer Ho, and Mark Konrad (all from National Local 20088) who ably assisted.

Here are some photos (click the thunbnail, then within the picture to advance to the next one) …

On behalf of Paul Jones, GLBT Coordinator, BC Regional Council

Hello all! Happy Pride! Please find below the marshalling information for Sunday’s parade starting on Robson Street. We are meeting around 10AM to finalize float prep and those who would like to walk with us may meet us at 11:15AM. Please join us in making this event just as successful as Victoria was! See you all there!

Multi Union Pride 2008 Marshalling Information

Please note that the parade route, and marshalling information are different than previous years!

• Multi Union Pride is marshalling group number 39 (out of 160 entries)
• Our marshalling spot is on Robson Street between Thurlow and Burrard. Groups that are in close proximity to us include: COPE, BC Civil Liberties, and CAW Local III.
• The Multi Union Pride float will be setting up at 10am. (Everyone is welcome to come down to assist.)
• All Marchers should arrive between 11 and 11:30am.
• The parade starts at noon sharp. As we are close to the front, we should be in motion shortly after 12.
• The parade is longer than previous years. It is 3 kilometres in length, and will take about an hour to march the route.
• At 1pm, there will be a moment of silence to remember those who are no longer with us or cannot be in the parade today. The moment of silence will be indicated by the volunteer marshals waving white flags throughout the entire route. Festivities will resume when the volunteer marshals wave the rainbow flag.

Everyone from your union is welcome to join in Multi Union Pride entry! It is going to be a FANTABULOUS day! Questions? Contact Peter from CUPE 391 at peterdeg@vpl.ca or 778-840-0580

Victoria Pride!

Pride events are taking place across British Columbia all summer and PSAC members are joining in! In Victoria, PSAC staff & members marched as a group in the parade for the first time, distributed Think Public! brochures & flyers, and hosted a “Public & Proud To Be” booth at the post-parade festival in Fisherman’s Wharf Park where they let the public know that we are proud to be federal public services employees and that we deserve to be treated fairly and respectfully. Kudos to Paul Jones, GLBT Coordinator on the BC Regional Council, for an excellent job organizing! ‘Continue reading’ below for some photos & a video …

In Vancouver we’ll be marching on August 3rd alongside sisters & brothers with the Multi-Union Pride Committee and everyone is welcome to join in! For more information email Steve Houston. We’ll also be hosting a table at the post-parade festival at Sunset Beach – we are looking for volunteers to hand out information regarding PSAC initiatives to support our members and communities. If you are interested email Ria Nishikawara or call 604.430.5631.

Is there a Pride event coming up in your community? Let us know! Email Patrick.

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East Side Pride kicks off the 2008 Pride season in a very family friendly way. Located within the heart of the funky Commercial Drive area, the festival features a live stage, food vendors, local artisans, and community groups to provide information, products, and services for the GBLT community.

Stop by and say hello to the PSAC members on the Multi Union Pride Committee who will have a table set up at Grandview Park for this event. Look for table 3 – right by the waterpark.

• Date: July 6, 2008
• Where: A Channel Bldg on Broad Street, in downtown Victoria.
• Who: All GLBT PSAC Members, Families and Friends.
• Why: To celebrate Victoria Pride, PSAC Pride & to let the public know that we are proud to be federal public services employees; To also raise awareness that we deserve to be treated fairly and respectfully by our Departmental Employers & the Treasury Board.

We will be having a PSAC Union table on the festival grounds at Fisherman’s Wharf Park following the parade. We are looking for volunteers for the union table and to hand out information regarding PSAC initiatives to support our members, communities as well as our world’s communities.

Please feel free to contact Paul Jones, GLBT Member Coordinator, PSAC Regional Council @ pablojones@shaw.ca or at 250.813.0565. See you there! Visit victoriapridesociety.org for lead-up events.

posted on behalf of Paul Jones, GLBT Coordinator on the BC Regional Council

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing to you today to introduce myself as the newly elected LGBT Regional Coordinator for the BC Regional Council of the PSAC. I am a member of my local executive, UNDE 21010 and a member of two employment equity groups, LGBT and PWD. I am truly honoured that I will be representing you over the next 3 years. I am excited and committed to furthering our issues, promoting equality in both our union and in the public and providing a strong voice for you at the Council.

There are a number of initiatives that I believe are worth your participation. For example: “Multi-Union Pride” (August 3, 2008) in Vancouver – Multi-Union Pride is constructing a float and all Mainland members are encouraged to assist in any way they may be able. The Victoria Pride Day parade and festival (July 6, 2008) – I will be looking at a walking contingent and information table at the festival with the hopes of broadening community awareness surrounding the good work we do in our communities and abroad and the support we give our LGBT members throughout Canada. We do have a minimal budget to work with regarding these initiatives but we can also utilize some of these funds to affiliate with local organizations on the mainland, inland and on the island to participate in community events.

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Transsomatechnics: Theories and Practices of Transgender Embodiment
A Transdisciplinary International Conference, May 1- 3, 2008, SFU Harbour Centre

Keynote Speakers and Plenary Speakers

Cabral, Mauro – Bio, “My Name is Truth”, Trans Issues within Human Rights Frameworks
Murray, Samantha – Bio, Banded Bodies: The TransSomatechnics of Obesity Surgery
Noble, Bobby – Bio, Transed-Nationalisms: On the Limits of Whiteness
Najmabadi, Afsaneh – Transing and Transpassing Across Sex-Gender Walls in Iran
Namaste, Viviane – BioKnowledge for whom?  Trans Women, HIV and the Field of “Trans Studies
Pugliese, Joseph – Transpositions of Transsomatechnics
Sullivan, Nikki – Bio, The Matter of Transsomatechnics