Campaigning
We use our influence as charity to campaign and lobby to improve the health and wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV. For example, we work with other sexual health and HIV charities to address inequalities in access to quality sexual health services.
We have added our support to Rainbow Migration’s national campaign to end the detention of LGBTQ+ asylum-seekers.
One of the main ways we campaign – and our volunteers can get involved in campaigning – is through our membership of Leicester and Leicestershire Citizens. This is the local chapter of Citizens UK, which is the country’s biggest, most diverse, and most effective people-powered alliances, bring together everyday people and local organisations to build a better, fairer society. Trade is proud to be one of the first LGBTQ+ community organisations to join Citizens UK
Trade helps lead Leicester and Leicestershire Citizens Trans Access to Healthcare campaign, which is working with the local NHS and policy-makers to reduce and remove the barriers to trans people accessing quality and affirming healthcare. We used Citizens UK’s community organizing tools to listen to the experiences of local trans people and identify the best ways we could change things locally (focusing on issues that were under the control of local NHS leaders).
The Trans Access to Healthcare campaign has three key asks:
- A ‘tell us once’ approach to updating your name and gender on your NHS patient record
- The creation of a network of trans healthcare champions across primary care in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
- Improve training about the health needs of trans people for staff in the local NHS.
We meet regularly with senior leaders from the local NHS to advance these issues and address new issues as they arise. We always make space for trans people to be part of these meetings – your health matters and your stories have power to influence change.
Because we work intersectionally and understand the specific pressures on LGBTQ+ migrants (and people living with HIV), we are also supporting Citizens UK’s migrant justice Pathways to Citizenship campaign.
If you would like to get involved in any of these campaigns, please contact the Trade office.