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Pride Archive
The AFT has a long history of supporting LGBTQIA+ causes and voices. In addition to the recent resources on our current AFT Pride page, here are articles, blog posts and resolutions from the past that deal with LGBTQIA+ issues.
Articles and blog posts
In this AFT Health Care article, LGBTQIA+ patients of color describe the stumbling blocks they’ve encountered in a healthcare system that is not always informed or welcoming, and they outline the many ways healthcare professionals can be more effective in their treatment of LGBTQIA+ patients, especially LGBTQIA+ patients of color. Among the changes they hope to see: providers who are familiar with LGBTQIA+ terms, who don’t pass judgement on patients based on identity, and who work to combat systemic biases.
More than a safe space
This edition of the AFT’s education journal highlights the voices of LGBTQIA+ students and the tools that their teachers use to support them. It focuses not only on the safety of LGBTQIA+ students and anti-bullying, but on how teachers can help LGBTQIA+ students thrive in school. A more inclusive environment can be achieved in many different ways, from the classroom environment itself to curriculum and other resources like Gay-Straight Alliances.
AFT middle school teacher Amber Chandler knows how important it is to recognize and really see each of her students—especially those who are so often marginalized and ignored. In her AFT Voices blog post, she shares her work in creating an inclusive classroom for LGBTQIA+ students, by using correct pronouns and nicknames and encouraging them to express who they really are. “By acknowledging the many types of differences,” she writes, “we normalize the beautiful, complicated mess that we all are, which provides space for students who have never had a place to fit.”
It’s a strange time to be queer, writes Bethany Gizzi, who teaches gender studies at a New York state community college. The contradiction of joyful Pride celebrations and the more than 300 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills introduced in state legislatures across the country has created a confusing landscape where she feels lucky to educate her students and support the LGBTQIA+ campus community and her family. But she also worries over their future and the future of her area of study.
Recently retired teacher Rich Ognibene is grateful that his school provided a safe, emotionally supportive environment for gay, queer and trans kids. And he thinks of them as he reads about the plethora of states passing anti-transgender, anti-gay laws.
Parents should stand with Mr. Bernaert and all other LGBTQIA+ teachers and educational professionals
Florida mother and PTA member Heather Brooks knows that children are naturally inquisitive. So, she was disheartened by the introduction of the “Don’t Say Gay” law in her state, which would prevent public schoolteachers from discussing LGBTQIA+ topics in schools. Brooks expresses her support for Cory Bernaert, a kindergarten teacher who spoke out against the law and encourages other parents to support him as well, stating that the government should invest more in improving education and less in policing teachers.
Minnesota teacher of the year Kelly Holstine was recently invited to the White House with the rest of the nation’s award-winning teachers, but she declined this honor: She couldn’t in good conscience enter the home of a president and visit with an administration, including Mike Pence and Betsy DeVos, whose policies and words have done so much damage to people like the marginalized students she teaches at an alternative school in Shakopee, Minn. Holstine’s choice drew enraged emails, letters and even death threats, but she has stood her ground. She explains on AFT Voices why it’s so important that she “Stand Up and Teach,” passing on a lesson in dignity and respect.
Related to the LGBTQIA+ community
In the face of the large number of anti-LGBTQIA+ and in particular anti-transgender bills introduced and passed in recent months, the AFT condemns these exclusionary policies. The AFT does not support the exclusion of transgender athletes from sports and advocates for nondiscrimination policies.
In the wake of the “Don’t Say Gay” law passed in Florida, the AFT resolves to take action to overturn this anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation. The AFT reaffirms its dedication to supporting and uplifting the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth and the educators who continue to teach LGBTQIA+ history and support all their students.
After more than 300 proposed pieces of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, with notable attacks on LGBTQIA+ youth and educators in Texas and Florida, the AFT condemns these anti-LGBTQIA+ policies and commits to supporting young people and educators through the state and local organizations fighting these bills, and through labor efforts to support educators.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling that employment discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, despite many states failing to enact the appropriate anti-discrimination laws and the continued restrictions on teachers’ discussions of LGBTQIA+ topics, the AFT reaffirms its support for LGBTQIA+ youth and educators. Additionally, the AFT commits to helping local unions increase the number of LGBTQIA+ educators and increase the visibility of Gender-Sexuality Alliances in schools.