By Erin Bennett
This Sunday, alongside community partners like ONE Colorado and the Center on Colfax, approximately 100 Colorado educators and their family and friends joined the Denver PrideFest Parade to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community.
As representatives of nearly 39,000 Colorado educators, the Colorado Education Association was honored to participate in the city’s annual celebration with its own school bus themed float and the celebratation of inclusive schools and public education.
Celebrations such as these are particularly important after a year of heightened, politically-motivated attacks and hate crimes against our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender neighbors and colleagues. The CEA has found that, due in no small part to this heightened atmosphere of hatred, our fellow educators often find themselves uncomfortable with sharing their own identities at school. According to a study conducted in 2022, 85% of self-identified LGBTQ+ educators do not feel safe being out in their workplace.
“We must do everything within our power to create public schools that are inclusive, welcoming, and safe for all of our colleagues and students,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the CEA. “Consider the implications of an environment where an adult educator feels unsafe to be fully themselves – it’s unlikely that our young students feel safe to be themselves, to learn and grow, in that same environment.”
As part of our efforts to foster inclusion in our schools, CEA member educators championed the introduction of new statewide Social Studies standards by the Colorado State Board last fall, which were successfully adopted. These new, inclusive standards set Colorado apart as one of the first states to introduce a proactively inclusive and honest curriculum
“As educators, one of the most important things we can do is make our students feel welcomed and accepted exactly as they are. We are committed to creating educational spaces that are inclusive and offer students an environment where they can learn and grow without fear or intimidation,” said Baca-Oehlert.
As participants in Denver’s PrideFest, we were proud to walk alongside so many of our community members who lead the way towards a better, more inclusive future for all of our students, educators, and neighbors.
About the Colorado Education Association
The Colorado Education Association is the voice of 39,000 educators, working together in a strong union to ensure all students get the exceptional public schools they deserve, in every neighborhood across the state. As Colorado’s largest labor union, CEA works collectively with all education stakeholders to ensure Colorado’s standing as an excellent state in which to learn, live, work, and raise a family.
Erin Bennett is manager of the Center for Political Affairs and Communications, Colorado Education Association.