Posts tagged LGBTQ
The Absurdity of the Nation’s Largest Teachers’ Union
December 3, 2025 // Membership training for the National Education Association (NEA), America’s largest teachers’ union, makes the organization’s priorities unmistakably clear. Defending Education, a watchdog group, recently obtained pre-attendance and participant materials for the NEA’s training session, “Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice,” which begins today. The documents, considered alongside other union programming, reveal the NEA’s fixation on identity politics.
Utah’s oldest gay bar plans to reopen soon, after recognizing employees’ union
November 29, 2025 // Owner Mary Peterson announced in a release Tuesday that she had decided to voluntarily recognize her employees’ union, SunTrapp Workers United (SWU). Peterson closed The SunTrapp’s doors on Oct. 31. At the time, she said financial strain from picketing and striking workers had grown too heavy, and she could no longer afford to keep the place open.
Largest US teachers’ union to host training that attacks Republicans as ‘racist and transphobic’
November 25, 2025 // America’s largest teachers’ union accused Republicans of promoting “racist and transphobic troupes” in teaching materials for an upcoming training program, according to documents obtained by a conservative activist group. The National Education Association is hosting a training from Dec. 2-4 at an undisclosed location called “Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice and Transgender Advocacy” aimed at dismantling “strategic racism and transphobia,” the group Defending Education uncovered. The group released information on the training that is targeted for union staff and teams as part of the NEA UniServ and Organizing Training Program 2025–2026.
As historic LGBTQ+ bar closes in SLC, owner and union organizers say they both hope to find ‘a path forward’
November 4, 2025 // The bar has tried to stay open during the shutdown, she said, but “sadly, the financial impact of consistent protests has made it impossible for us to remain open. As such, we will be closing the SunTrapp on October 31st, 2025.“
Commentary: California Teachers’ Union Ruins an Earnest Effort to Confront Antisemitism
October 5, 2025 // In its July letter opposing the assembly measure, the CTA makes it clear that its highest priority isn’t the education of students. It’s about progressive politics. The letter opens with a prefabricated declaration that the union is (of course) “firmly committed to schools that are free of racism, sexism, religious and gender discrimination.” The implied “but” arrives promptly: “We are also concerned with academic freedom and the ability of educators to ensure that instruction include perspectives and materials that reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of all of California’s students.”
Owner of iconic Salt Lake City LGBTQ+ bar says it’s ‘too small’ to unionize as workers announce intent
September 30, 2025 // Workers delivered a letter to SunTrapp management Friday that stated a majority of the staff have signed union authorization cards to be represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7765, which also represents workers at the University of Utah and Utah State University, the release said.
The Castro’s central Starbucks — ‘Bearbucks’ — shutters abruptly
September 27, 2025 // Affectionately known as “Bearbucks” — owing to the prevalence of LGBTQ+ customers — that location was the first Starbucks in the city to unionize, during a nationwide push in 2022. At the time, workers cited difficulties at the cafe during and after the pandemic, including a four-month closure for plumbing issues. Citing declining sales, the company has shuttered at least six cafes in San Francisco in the past year, most of them downtown.
Clovis Unified teachers face choice between CTA-backed or independent union
September 23, 2025 // Teachers champion ICUE, the independent group that promises cheaper dues and local control, because they don’t have ties to the California Teachers Association (CTA), which represents most teachers unions across the state. But educators also base their support on personal experiences and group reputation. There are still many teachers on the fence, often remaining quiet about their indecision. Perhaps they are hoping for an election. The ACE or ICUE must gather the signatures of more than 50% of approximately 2,100 teachers within a year.
Labor Day 2025: More protests than parades and picnics
August 20, 2025 // But the biggest blowout, organizers hope, is going to be on Labor Day itself. Local events can be found at MayDayStrong.org. There is also a toolkit for event hosts and organizers to coordinate their actions. The organizers hope to exceed the estimated five million people who hit the streets on No Kings Day back in April. The key demands at all the protests will be: “stop the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration, protect and defend Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs for working people,” plus “fully funded schools, and healthcare and housing for all.” Marchers will also demand the Trump regime “stop the attacks on immigrants, Black, indigenous, trans people, and all our communities and invest in people, not wars.”
Nationwide Lowe’s Boycott Planned for August 1: What to Know
July 31, 2025 // Progressive groups have spearheaded the action and expressed concerns over a number of issues, including company tax avoidance and workers' rights, as well as the scaling-back of diversity hiring commitments.