Rebel with a cause ‘overjoyed’ with honorary degree
Saorsa-Amatheia Tweedale, who has built a career helping people through trade unionism and her diversity and equality work, has been awarded an honorary degree by the University of Bradford.
The 58-year-old civil servant is currently Yorkshire & Humber regional chair for the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and the national chair of PCS Proud the LGBT+ section of the union. She represented PCS for several years on the national TUC LGBT+ committee.
She attended the University of Bradford from 1993-95, where she completed a Master’s in Politics of Visual Representation, focusing on social constructions of sex and gender in the 18th century.
Commenting on her award, she said: “The nomination came out of the blue and was overwhelming. I don’t see this as significant for me alone, but more for the LGBT+ community. When I was a child, I always knew I was different, but I had to hide it. If people can look at me and see a trans person who is successful and content to be who they are, then that’s more than I can hope for.”
Saorsa-Amatheia was born in South Yorkshire in June 1965. The second-eldest of four, her father worked as a pit electrician, her mother as a barmaid. In her youth, Saorsa-Amatheia recalls she was “always a rebel”, developing a liking for the Goth scene, jokingly reminiscing: “It was a case of ‘black is my favourite colour until they invent something darker.’
“When I was a child, I thought there was something wrong with me, but I came from a working class community where the idea of ‘coming out’ was not possible, so I learned to hide it and hide it well.
“But now more people are finding the courage to come out thanks in part to my generation who have increased visibility. I completely appreciate that this might intimidate some people, who see it as a challenge to accepted norms. Some think trans is a new issue, but trans history goes back thousands of years. Our modern perception of sexuality and gender identity is different from those of the past.
“My personal philosophy has always been that if what you’re doing doesn’t harm anyone, who am I to tell you what to do? Live and let live and enjoy human variety.”
Saorsa-Amatheia took Religious Studies at Newcastle University and first entered the Civil Service in 2001, working in a job centre in Bradford. There she later rose to manage the reception team before becoming finance manager. It was here she first became involved with staff equality networks within the Civil Service - thanks in part to her background in the National Union of Students during her time in Bradford where she had national responsibility for Equality - which led to her taking on a role on the DWP Gender network, which she later ended up chairing.
While in that role, she also helped set up the first trans gender network in the DWP. She was also awarded a national diversity award for her work around intersectional gendered health issues. Recently she was the DWP LGBT+ staff network co-chair, and currently is co-chair of the Cross Civil Service LGBT+ staff network.
Commenting on her trade union role, she said: “My mantra has always been, I hate seeing bad things happen to good people. It’s important people have representation in the workplace, to ensure members’ basic rights are upheld.
“From one perspective, management and unions want the same thing: management wants a productive workforce and unions know that a happy workforce is productive. If we can work together to make staff happy, they will be more productive. I don’t see it as necessarily a confrontational role.”
Saorsa-Amatheia has an active interest in sport, online gaming and desktop Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games, which she has done for over 40 years.
She added: “I remember my time studying in Bradford fondly. I recall getting off the train for the first time and just being bowled over by the wonderful architecture. And, of course, the city is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside you are ever likely to see.
“The other thing that struck me was how multicultural the city is and I think it’s particularly apt it has been named City of Culture 2025. Bradford is a role model for the rest of the country in terms of showcasing how multiculturalism can succeed.”