An upcoming annual conference hosted by Minnesota’s teachers union is offering several workshops saturated with LGBT ideology.
Education Minnesota’s 2022 MEA conference for teachers is set to take place this Thursday, Oct. 20. Attendees have the option of attending in person or virtually, and the keynote speaker, Jennifer Berkshire, is noted on the conference webpage as someone who specializes in “the intersection of politics and education.”
Among the numerous teacher workshops offered during the conference, many of them focus on left-wing themes of “equity,” “gender inclusivity,” and “LGBTQ+ advocacy.” Workshops explicitly promoting left-wing ideology offer some of the greatest availability for participation.
For instance, a workshop titled “Building Awareness and Equity Through Anti-Bias Education” offers 256 spots. According to the description, teachers “will learn about Anti-Bias Education as a tool to build awareness and create belonging and equity for children with marginalized identities and explore strategies, tools and tips to create school communities of belonging.”
Another workshop offering 256 spots is titled “Creating Gender Inclusivity Through Language, Curriculum and Sharing Stories.” A smaller one will feature a talk by an abuse survivor on “some of the most common toxic tropes in popular teen literature.”
“[E]nvision a golden future through the elevation of feminist and diverse books for young adults. Presentation led by an abuse survivor/advocate/queer community member. Topics highlighted include misogyny and #metoo, racism, homophobia, mental health issues,” a description for the workshop states.
Furthermore, a two-part virtual workshop titled “LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Support Training” will cover the use of preferred “pronouns,” “inclusive language,” “microaggressions towards the LGBTQ+ community,” and ask participants to “create an action plan to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ colleagues, students, family and community members in your life.”
Other workshops will teach educators how to “eradicate” cultural appropriation from schools, train them on the difference between “misinformation” and “disinformation,” and inform them of the “common barriers to teaching climate change.”
Education Minnesota, which claims 90,000 total members, is known for being a top ally of Gov. Tim Walz and supporting lockdowns and school closures throughout the COVID pandemic.
Recent campaign finance reports show that the teachers union’s political action committee donated nearly $2 million to Minnesota Democrats in August and September.
Alpha News reported in August that the union had privileged access to the Walz administration during the early days of the pandemic. Emails revealed that union president Denise Specht had established a close working relationship with Walz’s former education commissioner.
Evan Stambaugh
Evan Stambaugh is a freelance writer who had previously been a sports blogger. He has a BA in theology and an MA in philosophy.
