Your voices make us stronger
Unions are more powerful when equality is at the core of our work and people from under-represented groups have their voices heard.
LGBT+ Scientists
Under the theme ‘science and innovation’, PCS Proud organised a series of online events during LGBT+ History Month in February, which celebrated LGBT+ people whose work has improved lives and enhanced our understanding of the world.
An introductory session discussed the erasure of LGBT+ people and the ways in which their identities and contributions, and those of other queer individuals, have historically been downplayed.
“We tried to focus on lesser known LGBT+ scientists but of course couldn’t resist including Alan Turing,” said Eilonwy Awen, who ran the event alongside Proud’s Trans+ rep Aitch Sheridan.
“It was a whistlestop tour through the lives of Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale, George Washington Carver, Lynn Conway, Sara Josephine Baker, Sally Ride, James Barry and Ben Barres.
“Erasure is a common thread for LGBT+ people across the world, even today, so it was important to us that we told these stories,” she said.
Proud also held an event for Trans Day of Visibility on 31 March.
For Trans+ History Week, Proud will discuss medical researcher Barbara Burford, trans botanist Elke Mackenzie, and intersex biotechnologist Jemma Redmond, who developed 3D bioprinting technologies for tissues and organs.
■ Proud’s event for Trans+ History Week is on 6 May, from 12–1pm.
■ Members’ meetings are held on the last Tuesday of every month.
■ Contact [email protected]
Carers' rights
PCS recognises that many of our members are unpaid carers, juggling work, caring responsibilities, and other commitments.
One of our most popular recent events was a session hosted by our national disabled members’ forum (NDMF) on carers’ rights and work-related stress.
More than 100 people attended the Teams event to discuss the support available to carers through legislation, benefits and policies, and explore how work-related stress can impact carers.
Around 5.8m people are looking after someone who is ill, older or disabled, says Carers UK.
Motability campaign
The union is asking members to respond to a campaign on changes to the Motability scheme, which were announced by the chancellor at the last budget. The changes make the scheme more expensive for disabled people and risk increasing social exclusion. The campaign Transport for All is asking users to have their say, in a campaign supported by the NDMF.
Motability provides cars to lease for disabled people with mobility issues, a vital service in a world that excludes people with disabilities. Users pay using the mobility element of their Personal Independence Payment (PIP), sometimes topping that up with their own income.
The changes, which apply from 1 July 2026, include: banning ‘premium’ car brands from the scheme; removing the VAT exemption and insurance premium tax exemption; discontinuing the inclusion of overseas breakdown cover; and reducing the lease mileage limit.
Standing firm in power and pride
Black History Month (BHM) and Islamophobia Awareness Month were marked by the PCS national Black members’ committee (NBMC) late last year, followed by an over-subscribed Black members’ seminar in November.
For BHM the committee chose ‘standing firm in power and pride’ as the theme, and hosted five online events.
These covered topics ranging from pathways to activism in PCS, to applying for civil service jobs, to tackling the far right, ‘misogynoir’ and the sexual harassment of Black women.
An online event for Islamophobia Awareness Month discussed tackling anti-Muslim prejudice in public sector roles and strategies for allies to foster inclusive and supportive environments.