Whereas, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recently leaked a memo that indicates an attempt to deny transgender people protection under the law; and

Whereas, the memo sends a chilling message that the existence and identity of transgender people is not recognized by the government, and deepens ongoing attacks on the civil rights of all citizens, documented immigrants, and undocumented people; and

Whereas, the memo may have further negative impacts on the rights of other groups, including intersex people; and

Whereas, the memo compounds the threats already facing unions and union members in the form expansion of right to work laws and the recent Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court ruling; and

Whereas, CFT membership includes a broad cross section of members representing diverse gender identities; and

Whereas, as educators, we seek to provide an inclusive educational experience for our students, and so it is imperative that we stand for the well-being and rights of transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming members of our communities; and

Whereas, standing by transgender communities impacted by the recent announcement is aligned with our aims to promote the welfare of students and educators and the advancement of public education in the public interest; and

Whereas, the DHHS proposal represents a challenge to the central principle of the labor movement: that unions stand for dignity, rights and equality for all workers; and

Whereas, the memo promotes a broader context of transphobia and a climate of fear that makes our tasks of organizing and building power with our members even more difficult; and

Whereas, the memo is a threat to worker solidarity across job categories, between unions and for all genders, ethnicities, races and abilities;

Therefore, be it resolved, that the California Federation of Teachers condemns in the strongest terms the leaked Department of Health and Human Services memo targeting transgender communities; and

Be it further resolved, that as union members who fight to protect our coworkers, our families and our communities, we oppose threats to transgender people expressed in the leaked memo, and we stand in solidarity with all LGBTQ people who may be experiencing heightened stress and forms of harassment and discrimination at this time; and

Be it further resolved, that the CFT asserts it is up to us as unionized educators to make a clear statement that the rights, safety, and well-being of transgender people is a labor rights issue, and one to which the labor movement needs to swiftly respond; and

Be it finally resolved, that the CFT will request and recommend that the AFT take a position affirming the rights of transgender people and condemning the federal government’s ongoing attacks on the civil rights of transgender people and communities.
 

• Passed as Resolution 24 by CFT Convention on March 24, 2019
• Submitted by the Executive Council