Working together, NUS’ disabled students campaign, black students campaign and LGBT campaigns successfully lobbied, alongside the Mental Health Alliance, for the mental health legislation to be changed.
Now, thanks to the House of Lords, people cannot be sectioned solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, political, religious or cultural beliefs.
Allowed to give blood
Britain needs blood donors, however, gay and bisexual men are not allowed to donate their blood. NUS’ LGBT campaign has been a loud and critical voice of this policy and we now have the support of Stonewall – the leading UK gay rights charity – in our efforts to get this policy withdrawn.
A women's right to choose
A women’s right to choose is a fundamental viewpoint of NUS and in 2006/07 we successfully campaigned to defeat two private member’s bills which would have reduced the abortion rights of women.
Electing black officers
During the past year, we helped 10 students’ unions set up and elect black student officers. These new officers will help to make sure that issues such as racism, anonymous marking and a ‘no platform policy against fascists and racists’ remain high in the agenda of their students’ unions.