CFA Celebrates Pride Month

CFA will join other union, social justice, and community groups over the month of June celebrating Pride Month and the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which sparked movements for the liberation of LGBTQIA+ peoples around the world.

“I am reminded of the deep connections that LGBTQIA+ liberation has to the labor movement,” said John Beynon, co-chair of CFA’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus. “After all, it was working class and sex worker queers who took a stand against heterosexist and transphobic bigotry and violence in New York City in June 1969.”

“I think the great transgender and working-class writer and activist Leslie Feinberg drew this connection best: ‘Like racism and all forms of prejudice, bigotry against transgendered people is a deadly carcinogen. We are pitted against each other to keep us from seeing each other as allies. Genuine bonds of solidarity can be forged between people who respect each other’s differences and are willing to fight their enemy together. We are the class that does the work of the world and can revolutionize it. We can win true liberation,’” Beynon added.

CFA’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus advocates for and legitimatizes a place for the recognition of the diversity represented by the presence of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the CSU system. The caucus works toward a CSU that provides a safe environment for all members of the CSU community, and fosters scholarship in issues relating to LGBTQIA+ life and issues. For help honoring Pride Month, visit the LGBTQIA+ Caucus resources page.

“I invite you to celebrate pride and to consider the ways that your liberation is dependent on the liberation of your LGBTQIA+ siblings around the world. Let’s take pride in the work we do to revolutionize our workplace, our union, and our world,” Beynon said.