Welcome to the Action Center Weekly Update. Each week, we’ll share:3
A brief analysis of critical issues in this political moment
Immediate actions you can take
Resources to deepen knowledge and strengthen our collective work to side with love
Nothing is inevitable. Justice movements are built by ordinary people who come together to defeat oppression and nurture a loving world. You are not alone. We have power. Together, we can create a just and thriving future.
Movements are strongest when we act together. Organize with your teams and networks, and take these actions in community. For practical tools, see our Organizing School and Skill Up resources.
Gender & LGBTQ Justice
Core Principle: Every body is sacred. We affirm that trans people are divine, abortion is a blessing, and no one is disposable. Attacks on identity are designed to divide us—solidarity is our moral and strategic mandate.
The Update:
The current social and political landscape reveals a deep moral and legal crossroads in the fight for bodily autonomy and human dignity. Across the U.S., trans and reproductive rights are under simultaneous assault—through legislative restrictions, court battles, and organized disinformation campaigns designed to fracture solidarity. Yet, in response, faith-rooted and justice-oriented communities are affirming a shared core truth: everybody is sacred. This affirmation rejects the logic of disposability and insists that both gender self-determination and reproductive choice are divine expressions of human freedom.
Solidarity is not symbolic—it’s strategic. Whether by volunteering, joining campaigns, or amplifying legal advocacy, individuals and UU congregations collectively can contribute to a collective defense of those targeted by overlapping systems of oppression. These small but deliberate actions sustain a broader movement grounded in dignity and mutual care.
In this moment of escalating attacks, let us become extensions of one another’s courage. To affirm that trans people are divine and abortion is a blessing is to participate in the sacred work of justice itself. When we act together—learning, showing up, and speaking truth—we embody a living resistance that no policy can silence, try as they might.
Take Action:
Join (or join with a group of friends from your congregation) a national trans-rights organization and complete one concrete contribution within the next month
Commit to partnering with a national advocacy organization that’s advancing trans rights through legal, policy, or community-based action. You’ll choose one (or more) of the following and take one specific, measurable step this month — such as signing up to volunteer, participating in a campaign, or amplifying legal advocacy work.
1) Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE)
What they do: Federal and state advocacy, education, and mobilization for transgender equality.
How to act this month:
Join their Volunteer Action Network.
Complete their online volunteer form and commit to one activity (digital organizing, phonebanking, policy education).
Read their “Policy Action Center” to stay updated on current legislation and take one advocacy step (letter, call, or event).
Website: transequality.org/volunteer
2) Lambda Legal
What they do: Legal defense and impact litigation for LGBTQ+ and HIV+ people nationwide — including major trans rights cases.
How to act this month:
Sign up for Lambda Legal’s email alerts to stay informed about pending court cases and public comment opportunities.
Donate or share their “Trans Rights Project” materials on social media to raise awareness about ongoing lawsuits and victories.
If you’re legally inclined, apply to join their Legal Volunteer Network (law students, paralegals, and attorneys can participate remotely).
Website: lambdalegal.org
3. GLSEN
What they do: Advocates for safe and inclusive K–12 schools for LGBTQ+ youth.
How to act this month:
Join or start a local chapter to promote trans-inclusive education policy.
Participate in their next Day of Action or virtual campaign supporting trans students.
Share GLSEN’s resources with your local school board or PTA to help push inclusive curriculum and anti-bullying measures.
Website: glsen.org/take-action
Resources:
Read:
Abortion is on the ballot in three US states, from supreme court to governor
“When the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade more than three years ago, unleashing a wave of state-level abortion bans, the justices catapulted abortion rights to the top of US voters’ minds. The issue has dominated every election cycle since – and 2025 is no different.” Read more from The Guardian
Learn:
Check out this Toolkit from In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
“The Reproductive Justice Community Guide & Workbook is designed to spark conversation, deepen understanding, and move people toward meaningful engagement with the Reproductive Justice movement. Grounded in Black feminist values, this resource centers the lived experiences of Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people while offering practical tools for learning, organizing, and building community power.”Join:
The Woodlands is an all-ages online gathering for trans children, youth, adults, and the parents and caregivers who love them.
Please consider joining us for our next gathering on Sunday, December 7th. This monthly 90-minute program includes a shared message and grounding ritual, followed by breakout rooms for different communities—each co-facilitated by chaplains offering space for connection, support, and reflection.
Breakout Rooms:
Saplings — Trans Youth (13+/HS)
Sycamores — Trans Adults (18+)
Sequoias — Parents/Caregivers (attending solo)
Sequoias Jr. — Parents/Caregivers (attending with kids 12 and under)
Time: 4:00pm EST / 3:00pm CST / 2:00pm MST / 1:00pm PST
Watch/Listen: 2025 State of Trans Rights Webinar
Broadcast: Tuesday, November 18, 1-2 pm ET / 10 am PT
Join us for our 3rd annual webinar on the state of transgender, gender-nonconforming, nonbinary, and intersex (TGNCNBI) rights—our event marking the close of Trans Awareness Week. Our communities continue to face a wave of coordinated legal and policy attacks from both state and federal levels, particularly from the Trump administration—from limits on gender-affirming care to targeted executive orders, passport restrictions, and mounting battles in the courts, including the Supreme Court.
Decriminalization & Immigration
Core Principle: Criminalization and dehumanization deny the dignity of our communities. Safety cannot come at the expense of others. As people of faith, we proclaim a future of care, abundance, and mutuality—not domination.
The Update:
In a week where we saw the National Guard in DC chase children who were out enjoying Halloween and the President threaten to start doing live nuclear tests, Interrupting Criminalization's Andrea Ritchie writes “I want to emphasize the importance of building and strengthening connections and community as authoritarian regimes consolidate power and ratchet up violence and repression in the U.S. and beyond. We need to create and utilize as many spaces as possible to collectively make sense of what’s unfolding in our communities, across the country, and around the world at an intentionally dizzying pace; to identify small, concrete steps each of us can take to have an impact as part of larger resistance efforts; and to fortify ourselves for what lies ahead. Courage is collective, and requires us to come together as often as possible in community.”
As people of faith, we know how to do this, but, like all humans, we forget, get distracted, or scared. Let us remember the importance of connection and together take small, concrete steps to stop the consolidation of authoritarian power this week and month.
Take Action:
Find your role in Immigrant Defense work -whether it’s ICE Watch, sanctuary campuses, educating and recruiting businesses to protect migrant workers and community members, targeting transportation infrastructure of the deportation machine, fighting to close detention facilities, and sharing strategies, successes, and lessons with each other. Not sure where to start? Defend and Recruit has resources and trainings for you.
Support DACA Renewals. Right now, United We Dream tells us, DACA recipients and immigrant youth are being cruelly targeted, abducted, and disappeared. During these uncertain times, DACA recipients must navigate a complex immigration system to renew their DACA status. The cost of renewing DACA has increased to $555 online, and even more for paper applications. Please, help immigrant youth keep their status by making a donation to the DACA Renewal Fund today.
Resources:
Read:
‘We Are Called to Justice’: UUs Join Clergy Efforts to Respond at Chicago ICE Facility Multifaith presence offers religious response to immigration crackdown actions. [from UU World]
Criminalization at it’s core - from Andrea Ritchie. “Criminalization is central to enabling, enacting, and enforcing authoritarian regimes and Right-wing agendas. It is literally HOW they operate and are legitimized, and how they manufacture consent.
Learn:
Join:
Join Detention Watch Network’s webinar on resisting 287(g) agreements on November 5th!
Wed, Nov. 5th, 2 PT / 5ET: UU Monthly Conversations on Abolition: "Starting the Pathway: Big-A and little-a Abolition" Are you curious about what abolition really means — and how it connects to your faith and values? Join us for the first in our new Monthly Conversations on Abolition series: “Starting the Pathway: Big-A and little-a Abolition.” This conversation is the perfect introduction for anyone who’s not sure where to begin exploring abolition or engaging with the Abolition, Transformation, and Faith Formation CSAI. Together, we’ll begin to unpack what abolition means on both systemic and personal levels — and how each of us can walk the pathway toward a world rooted in care, accountability, and collective liberation.
Watch/Listen:
Rachel Maddow lifted up the campaign to stop Avelo “Abduction” Airlines for their contract with ICE. You can take action and connect on Avelo with UUs at Defend and Recruit
Climate Justice
Core Principle: A just and loving world is also a flourishing one. A fossil-free future is possible, where clean energy is a human right and all beings thrive. To get there, we must create new systems, norms, and practices.
The Update:
This week’s climate update is all about celebration, because we could all use a few points of joy in our lives right now. This time last year, UUs were deep in the joy of the Reimaginging Together a future where all communities thrive. Thousands of UUs in over 400 UU congregations in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and the Virgin Islands engaged in the first-ever UU Climate Justice Revival. You reimagined your community thriving, fully embraced the complexity of the Challenging Realities in your community, and dreamed big with those Opportunities for Community Care. Each and every one of you found your place in the Sacred Circles of which we all are a part.
From advocating for energy justice and a clean energy future at the Public Utility Commission in Georgia to pressuring the City Council to reject utility contracts that risk the health and safety of low-income people in Colorado, to completely reorienting climate action to center justice and spiritually grounded actions in California, and so many more ways, UUs continue to transform our communities and nourish our spirits with your faithful commitment to climate justice. Pat yourselves on the back for the beautiful work you are doing. While you’re at it, tell us how the Revival impacted you and your community. What ideas emerged from the Revival and how are those actions taking shape in your community? Add to the ongoing inspiration that we all need so much right now by sharing the story of your Revival!
Take Action: (2–3 partner actions)
Share your story of Revival! What are you most proud of? How did the Revival change you and/or your congregation? What actions emerged from your Revival, and how are they impacting your community? Celebrate one year of the Revival together by sharing your story.
Resources:
Read:
Revivals Offer New Ways for UUs to Connect on Climate Justice
People Power: UUs in Georgia are Energized for Utility Justice
Learn:
The Revival activities are evergreen; the systems-based practices that helped UUs reimagine thriving communities, identify the challenging realities and opportunities for community care, and help individuals find their place in the work through Sacred Circles can be used in any organizing context. Review the Revival Dialog Activities today, and consider how you might use them tomorrow.
Join:
Green Sanctuary 2030 Monthly Office Hours
November 5, 2025 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET
Have you wondered how the Revival relates to the new Green Sanctuary 2030 Mobilizing for Climate Justice program? Bring your questions and ideas to the monthly Green Sanctuary 2030 Office hours. This monthly meeting is open to anyone with questions on how Green Sanctuary 2030 can support UUs to transform our congregations through climate justice. Review the short Orientation Video then join the conversation!
Carbon Neutral by 2050 - Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting
November 19, 2025 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET
Online
The Boise UU Fellowship has committed to become Carbon Neutral by 2050 as part of their Green Sanctuary 2030 commitments. Engaging the entire congregation in a 2023 special appeal “Imagining A Carbon Neutral World,” BUUF launched their carbon neutral campaign which will focus on reducing the BUUF carbon footprint and supporting members to reduce their individual emissions while also building strong relations with community groups doing mitigation work. Come together for shared learning and mutual supports with other UUs transforming our congregations through climate justice. Green Sanctuary 2030 community meetings take place on the third Wednesday of the month at 4PT - 5MT - 6CT - 7ET for 90 minutes.
Watch/Listen:
Could your soul use a bit of joy and reflection? In addition to the beautiful song commemorating the Revival, the Revival team curated almost twenty sermons on climate justice and six art-based meditations. These materials are all available to the public on the Revival website to use in your congregational worship services.
Part of It by Leah Morris and Adam Podd
Together, we practice the world we long for. Together, we win.