For the second year in a row, CEA members, leaders, and staff took part in Connecticut’s largest pride festival. Celebrated on the first Saturday in June, the festival and parade, now in its seventh year, brought thousands out to Middletown’s Main Street in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
“While we have done other actions and demonstrations in the past, Middletown Pride is the big leagues, the largest pride parade in the state, and we are honored to be a part of it,” says Chris Teifke, CEA training and organizational development specialist and leader of CEA Pride. “Even to this day, far too many kids grow up believing they would be better off dead than openly LGBTQ+. Our participation says that we welcome all students and staff in education, full stop, no exceptions.”
Rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits as more than 20 CEA members, staff, and their families, hoisting a CEA Pride banner and sporting CEA Pride shirts and flags, marched through the streets. CEA Pride is open to all members and includes active and aspiring educators as well as members of CEA-Retired.
“I’m excited to meet other educators and get to know other people in the field,” said CEA Aspiring Educator and University of St. Joseph student Wesley Poirier. “I’m just really happy to be here and see people supporting people like me. I want to show support not only as a queer, non-binary soon to be educator, but I also want to show future students I may have in my classroom that they are safe and that they have a place to be welcome.”
“I think it’s important at this time because our students need to know that everyone is loved and welcome in the classroom,” said CEA-Retired member Nancy Sasso Janis, who taught in Naugatuck.
CEA Pride’s mission is to establish a community of Connecticut LGBTQ+ educators and allies who advocate through collaboration, action, and professional development. The group has been especially busy this year supporting members in light of national challenges as well as helping write and ultimately pass Connecticut’s Freedom to Read bill (protecting against book bans in public and school libraries; see page 8), building up resources for educators, and participating in an NEA caucus in Las Vegas that brought together LGBTQ+ educators from across the country.
Teifke says CEA Pride has big plans for this next year, starting with a retreat in July to plan and prepare for an entire year of advocacy.
“Right now, we are looking at further legislative efforts to bolster Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ protections to ensure Connecticut doesn’t just not move backwards but that we make continual strides forward,” said Teifke. “In addition, we’re exploring a statewide Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) school club convention in addition to a GSA after-school club sports league that would be open to all students.”
Interested in getting involved in CEA Pride? Email [email protected] and ask to be put on the CEA Pride email list. The group hosts monthly Zoom meetings, produces monthly newsletters, issues legislative action alerts, and shares tips and resources on how to make schools and communities safe and welcoming for everyone. Learn more at cea.org/pride.
