Role description: CLP LGBT+ Officer

CLP LGBT+ Officer

The LGBT+ Officer is the local representative of LGBT+ members within the CLP, and works to ensure that LGBT+ members are fully involved in the work of the local party. They also take a leading role in making sure that the campaigning work of the constituency reaches out and engages with LGBT+ voters in the community.

Key Responsibilities and tasks

• Making sure that LGBT+ members are included in all of the Party’s activities and that meetings and events are fully inclusive of LGBT+ members
• Welcoming new LGBT+ members to the CLP, through emails, telephone contact or social events. You can encourage your CLP to issue an equalities monitoring form so that LGBT+ members can self-identify.
• Reaching out to LGBT+ people through local campaigns, and working with organisations in the constituency to engage voters and highlight issues
• Bringing LGBT+ members together to empower each other and break down the barriers to getting involved
• Running events for LGBT+ members, including policy development, social events and training
• Working to recruit more LGBT+ members into the Labour Party and helping to make sure that those members become activists and leaders
• Listening to LGBT+ people’s views and ensuring that they are reflected in Labour’s policy making
• Acting as link with LGBT+ Labour, the Party’s national affiliate representing LGBT+ members, and encourage participation in their national events by your CLP

Activity

This role is varied and exciting, and you can make a real difference to your local party through this position. You can choose how to focus your role and what to make your priority depending on what sort of activities that local members want to see.

At the heart of all your activity should be the aims of building an inclusive party for LGBT+ members and building campaigns with your local LGBT+ community in mind.

Having a wide range of events and activity such as local policy forums is really important in enabling LGBT+ members to get involved – you could even open these up to the wider LGBT+ community. You should organise training to encourage LGBT+ members to become more involved in the party and public life, for example as party officers, school governors or local councillors, and ensure that LGBT+ members are supported to stand for the CLP executive and other positions. You could start by surveying interests and training needs of LGBT+ members.

The other part of your role involves looking outside of the party to your local community, and exploring how your CLP can engage with LGBT+ people locally.

Think about making contact with local branches of LGBT+ charities and voluntary organisations, setting up consultation meetings, exchanging speakers and running a joint campaign in the local community. You could also get in touch with your local trade union branches to set up a meeting to discuss how you can work together.

Organise a group to attend your local Pride march and host a Labour stall at the march or rally. Get in touch with LGBT+ Labour who will be able to provide campaign materials.

Meetings

As CLP LGBT+ Officer, it is your role to ensure LGBT+ members are able to get fully involved and that their views and concerns are reflected and listened to. Local meetings are a fantastic opportunity to increase LGBT+ participation in the CLP. At each CLP meeting, you should:

• Actively encourage LGBT+ members to get involved in meetings and contribute to discussions
• Report back on your activity, campaigns and community work and highlight any forthcoming events or campaigning
• Introduce yourself to any LGBT+ members attending a meeting for the first time. Though this information isn’t collected by the party nationally, you can encourage your CLP to issue an equalities monitoring form so that LGBT members can self-identify.

Useful links and contacts

There are many other contacts and resources to assist you in your role. Keep up to date with our latest campaigns, find out more about Campaign Technology, find resources for role holders and check our online training offer at www.labour.org.uk/resources. You can also purchase and download membership recruitment and campaign materials from the Campaign Shop.

LGBT+ Labour is the national affiliate group to the Labour Party that exists to represent and support the interests of LGBT+ Labour Party members and supporters. You can contact LGBT+ Labour or visit their website at www.lgbtlabour.org.uk to sign up for updates. They have their own guide for CLP LGBT+ Officers.

For useful guides and resources on campaign technology, membership engagement and how to use Organise to full effect, visit http://help.labour.org.uk, and if you need support or advice, you can contact your national or regional office.

Training resources are available at https://achieve.labour.org.uk.