Pride Month is celebrated each year in June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, where trans and queer people fought back against police harassment of community members in New York City.
It’s a time to recognize and celebrate the lives, stories, challenges, and triumphs held by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual communities across the globe. This is an important time where we can collectively support and uplift the LGBTQIA+ community through our words and actions.
AFGE has chartered our official LGBTQIA+ constituency group, AFGE PRIDE, to support members of this community and educate all AFGE members on the workplace and safety issues faced by LGBTQIA+ workers.
But our advocacy for LGBTQIA+ workers began long before the establishment of an official constituency group. Since 1988, AFGE has fought to include LGBTQIA+ protections in collective bargaining agreements – oftentimes the only protection these workers have against discrimination. That work began with AFGE’s Council 222, which represents employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Council 222’s bargaining team fought to include anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation – at a time when it wasn’t recognized by the EEOC – and expand the definition of family to include individuals related by affinity. The contract was ratified in 1990 and was the first nationwide contract between AFGE and a federal agency to include such protections and inclusions. Click here to view the article from this landmark agreement.
This year we are proud to highlight our very own Chelsea Bland who shared what Pride Month means to her and the importance of labor involvement in the LGBTQIA+ movement.
Chelsea is president of Metropolitan D.C. Area Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (Metro DC CLUW). She is a proud Black, queer, rank & file union member working to leave her mark on the labor movement. She is a strong advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and for supporting spaces of intersectionality within the labor movement.
Through the chapter, she works to elevate the voices, stories, and leadership of labor women and femmes in the metro D.C. area. Chelsea is a 15-year member of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2, where she has made a difference in her colleagues’ lives in such roles as the union’s LGBTQIA+ committee chair and union steward for the staff at AFGE.
At AFGE, Chelsea is a phenomenal communications specialist whose expertise and interpersonal skills have made her a rock star. She manages our union’s national email program, handling all the important email communications our members receive to stay informed. She also develops and delivers training to union activists that focus on communication tools and storytelling, and photographs federation events.
In addition to her union activism, Chelsea also serves on the planning team for Trans Pride Washington D.C. and is a freelance photographer.
What does Pride Month mean to you?
Pride Month to me is a time for community. I look forward to this time to be fully immersed in all things LGBTQIA+ from celebrations to educational workshops to community building activities. Visibility can have its drawbacks, but it also creates opportunities to connect with folks and reflect on our experiences. I also stay present to the fact that Pride started as a riot. My community is one of joy and resistance, and I aim to move in that spirit all year long.
What is the importance of labor involvement in the LGBTQIA+ movement?
LGBTQIA+ workers are a powerful force in today’s labor movement. The favorability of unions is growing across the country and some of today’s biggest labor organizing campaigns and actions are led by LGBTQIA+ workers. The labor movement is a crucial partner in ensuring that LGBTQIA+ workers have protections on the job that safeguard our identities, access to gender-affirming healthcare, and a meaningful voice on the job.
Join WFP this Pride Month
Join the Women and Fair Practices Departments and AFGE PRIDE on Wednesday, June 12 from 12-1:30pm ET to learn more about Trans Advocacy and Awareness. This virtual event will feature real life stories from trans individuals across the labor movement and will provide a safe space for us to learn together about what it means to be an ally to our trans siblings.
Interested in learning more about the work of AFGE PRIDE? Join us on Thursday, June 13 from 7-8pm ET for an Introductory Overview of AFGE PRIDE.
On Friday, June 14 at 7pm ET join AFGE Pride for our Pride & Joy Celebration on Discord.
Finally, look out for a message on June 18, 2024, when AFGE PRIDE will be launching a series of educational modules covering a variety of subjects relevant to the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community, including how to use pronouns and how to be an ally.
Don’t forget to register for these exciting virtual events:
AFGE PRIDE Lunch & Learn: Trans Advocacy and Awareness
June 12, 2024 from 12:00–1:30pm ET
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_INYuZlejRAu61oddOIrH9g
Overview of AFGE PRIDE
June 13, 2024 from 7:00–8:00pm ET
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kuMONPMRRCCwKWakW5iUvg
AFGE Pride: Pride & Joy Discord Celebration
June 14, 2024 at 7pm ET
Join here: https://discord.gg/dxsRYzP7dE
Capital Pride Festival
This year, AFGE’s Women’s and Fair Practices and AFGE PRIDE represented our union at the Capital Pride Festival in Washington, D.C. on June 9. Thanks to everyone who came out and participated!
WFP and AFGE PRIDE will also be participating in next year’s World Pride Celebration in Washington, D.C. Learn more about World Pride 2025 here.
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