Rochester Pride Parade & Festival

Over 12,000 people cheered from the sidelines as Pride at Work and the labor community joined almost 130 groups in the Rochester Pride Parade.   The crowd was in awe watching the Teamsters Truck drive along the route.  One child thought the truck was “Optimus Prime” and he became so excited he cried! 

After the parade, the community gathered at Cobbs Hill Park for the annual festival where we shared resources and relevant information about the current events happening in our working world.   The signs “Queer Workers Resist” were especially popular with the crowd.

Kendall and Dawn working the table at the Festival

March with Labor in the Pride Parade

WHEN: Saturday, July 15, 2017 at 12:00pm

WHERE: Find the Teamster's Truck on Park Avenue and Alexander

Please join Pride at Work and the  Labor Community by marching in the Pride Parade on Saturday, July 15th at Noon with kick off at 1:00. We will be with the Teamsters Truck on Park Avenue and Alexander. Members love to see their Union in the parade so be sure and bring your Union banner or wear your Union shirt. The theme this year is "Summer of Love" so go wild and 'hippie' up your outfit.   

If you have any questions please email Bess Watts at besswhat@gmail.com.

Buffalo Dyke March

Bess Watts, President of our chapter, had the opportunity to speak at the rally and work the information table with the Buffalo Chapter of Pride at Work at the annual Buffalo Dyke March on June 3rd.  It was a wonderful diverse and inclusive event.  

Bess Watts with Susan Woods, President of the Buffalo Chapter

Buffalo Dyke March believes that in response to our community’s and country’s uncertain future, we must build an expansive progressive movement. Our movement must make visible the vulnerabilities that reflect the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia, class oppression, immigrant oppression, climate denialism, ableism, transphobia, islamophobia, and we must speak up for all victims of bigotry. As we experience a newly emboldened Far Right attack on our LGBTQIA community, we know that the only path to survival and resistance is for oppressed peoples to reach out to one another, to collaborate together, and to publicly express solidarity with each other at every possible turn. 

Bess speaking at the rally

Constitutional Convention Training

If you're a Union member and want to learn about how a Constitutional Convention can impact you and your family, sign up for training on May 24th.

Pride at Work reacts to Executive Order

For Immediate Release May 4, 2017 Contact: Jerame Davis - jdavis@prideatwork.org Pride at Work Reacts to Religious Exemptions Executive Order Washington - The White House, today, issued an executive order aimed at expanding so-called “religious liberties.” While this order seems to back away from the anti-LGBTQ provisions of the previous draft, the order will still provide cover for businesses that do not wish to provide birth control to their employees and will make political speech by churches and other religious institutions easier. Pride at Work executive director, Jerame Davis, issued the following statement in response to the order: “The changes in this executive order since the previous draft leaked are a strong indication that the White House realizes that LGBTQ discrimination is not palatable to the vast majority of Americans. While the worst anti-LGBTQ provisions were removed, some pretty awful stuff remains that will impact our community. “Reproductive healthcare decisions should not be dictated from the White House nor any employer. Make no mistake - this executive order is a direct attack on women. Trump’s plan to allow businesses to deny coverage of contraceptive care under the guise of so-called religious liberty is a slippery slope. We are not a theocracy, but it appears some in this Administration are eager to continue the slow creep toward that goal. "Freedom of religion is a fundamental bedrock of our nation’s values. The First Amendment to the Constitution protects our right to believe and worship freely. This freedom is foundational, but it is not above all others. We will not stand by while this Administration thumbs their nose at the Constitution and takes away our rights to satisfy a narrow view of religion. "Our constitutional right to practice our religion freely does not allow us to impose that belief on others, to cause harm, to discriminate. It is designed to protect everyone’s rights, not the rights of a few. “Trump’s plan to give religious institutions a pass to enter the political fray is fraught with danger. Churches should not be empowered to run campaigns against LGBTQ people, women’s healthcare, and more without putting their tax exempt status in jeopardy. That’s a violation of the founding principle of separation of church and state. “We will fight this shameful executive order with every tool at our disposal." ## Pride At Work organizes mutual support between the organized Labor Movement and the LGBTQ Community for social and economic justice. We seek full equality for LGBTQ Workers in our workplaces and unions and we organize in the spirit of the union movement’s historic motto, “An Injury to One is An Injury to All.” Learn more at www.prideatwork.org

Rochester Trans Rally

On February 24th Pride at Work stood with the Gay Alliance in support of Trans youth at the School of the Arts in Rochester. We stood together in outrage and solidarity to send a strong message to the Trump Administration that rolling back protections for transgender students, introduced by the Obama Administration, is unacceptable.

People's Solidarity Rally in Rochester

The “People’s Solidarity Rally” took place at Washington Square Park in Rochester Saturday morning January 21 to coincide with action events planned throughout the United States today.

The event was organized by Action Together Rochester – Stronger Together WNY with the Gay Alliance, Pride at Work, Metro Justice, Urban League, NOW, Planned Parenthood of Central, Western New York Action Fund and several labor and social justice organizations.

The rally began at 11:15 a.m. and featured dozens of speakers, including Bess Watts, President of the Rochester chapter.