The MU delegation moved a motion—which passed unanimously—on protecting LGBTQ+ rights globally, calling on the TUC to lobby the government to intensify efforts to end the criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people worldwide. The motion also urged the TUC to:
MU member ALIA, who moved the motion, spoke about the experiences LGBTQ+ musicians face when touring. Read their full speech to Conference below.
"We are told that music is a universal language, that it crosses borders, that it transcends difference. But I am here to tell you even music cannot silence the hate that follows you through airports, sound checks, visa applications and fear.
"I am a singer. A composer. A nomad in and around London— not by accident, but because it is the only way I can stay close to the field that is my calling. My joy. My home. But even in that home I have been treated differently. Not because of the notes I write—
but because of who I am.
"Because I am not straight, because I am not cisgender, because I am not easily palatable. For years I hid who I was. Not just to feel safe, but to survive in a field that made it clear:
To be different, was to be less. Less bookable. Less relatable. Less safe. And I am not alone.
"According to the Musicians’ Census, LGBTQ+ musicians are more likely to work internationally, and yet we carry more risk.
"We are sometimes asked to share our gifts in countries where our very existence is criminal.
Where we are told: Your voice is welcome, but your truth is not.
"I have seen colleagues crumble under that pressure. Brilliant artists dimming their light, toning themselves down, turning themselves into someone else just to be allowed on the stage. Just to come back alive.
"Let me say this plainly. No artist should have to choose between their safety and their soul and yet, that is the impossible choice so many of us face.
"When touring becomes dangerous, not just logistically, but existentially. When visas can be denied based on gender markers, when hotel rooms can be unsafe, when hate follows us like baggage, how can we talk about “diversity” if we won’t talk about danger?
"Let’s also not pretend the backlash is “over there.” It’s not just in the United States. We feel it here in the UK.
"The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on trans rights made it loud and clear:
"Even here—
Even now—
Equality is not guaranteed.
"So I stand here, not just to share pain but to demand action, because safety is not a privilege. It is a right.
"For all workers.
For all artists.
For all people.
"Imagine, for a moment, a world where LGBTQ+ musicians didn’t have to hide. Where passports didn’t become traps. Where every soundcheck came with security, not just of body, but of identity.
"We can build that world. We must build that world.
"Not just with policy, but with intention. With courage. With healing. With love.
"Love, not as a soft word, but a radical one. A justice word. A solidarity word.
"Let that be our music. Let that be our movement."