Welcome to the Action Center Weekly Update. Each week, we will provide a brief analysis of critical issues in this political moment, share immediate actions you can take, and provide helpful resources to deepen knowledge and practice of our collective work to side with love.
Nothing is inevitable. All justice movements are powered by ordinary people who come together to defeat oppression and build a loving world. You are not alone. We have power. Together we can practice and win a just and loving world where all of us thrive.
Remember we build strong movements when we take action together. Organize teams and networks that can take these actions together. For support on practical organizing skills and support check out our Organizing School and Skill Up resources.
democracy
We are witnessing the consolidation of power in the hands of the few instead of the many. Democracy is a process and practice grounded in our values of interdependence that affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all. We are the majority, but we must organize our communities to build the power to defeat authoritarianism and build a truly multiracial democracy.
The Update:
We are witnessing the strengthening of democratic practices and activity pop up all over the country. In San Diego, neighbors came together to confront ICE during a raid in their community. Our movements are leveraging the fullness of the gifts and talents of people. Check out the newly released “No Kings in the USA” song written by Cory Choy is an activist/Indivisible member. People are gearing up to show up for voters and defend democracy in local elections with our partners Power the Polls. Vision Change Win is equipping movements and organizations to grow their skills in community safety as political violence rises. This is what democracy looks like. This is what it means to build democratic power. As we await possibly devastating Supreme Court decisions, endure hateful and unlawful Executive orders, and fight for our lives in an ever collapsing social safety net, we must remember that people have the power and responsibility to care for one another.
Act:
Attend the No Kings Training Series to prepare for the June 14 protests
Donate to UU the Vote and support our 2026 program that invests in more hyper local public actions and robust safety and security training to power democracy
Fight the cruel Reconciliation Bill that seeks to devastate the most vulnerable among us. Use this toolkit to take collective action
Join:
Join Power the Polls. Do not cede the administration of elections to those who do not want democracy to thrive
Watch/Listen:
Watch Care is Our Legacy: Preparing Our Community for the Skrmetti Decision on Tues. June 3 at 4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET, live on Transgender Law Center’s YouTube Channel
Gender & LGBTQ Justice
Every body is sacred. Side With Love unapologetically affirms that trans people are divine, that abortion is a blessing, and that no one is disposable. Attacks on identity is a part of a divide and conquer tactic that relies on the belief that one group's safety comes at the expense of another group's safety. Solidarity is the moral and strategic mandate of our time, and we must rise to challenge these attacks and build communities of care and safety for all.
The Update:
Support for the transgender community is vital, as highlighted by organizations like Trans Lifeline, which relies on individual donations to provide lifesaving services. Recent events underscore the urgency of this support, such as the case of a trans man in South Carolina who was harassed and detained simply for using the legally designated restroom, prompting him to seek safety elsewhere. Educational resources like the Transgender Law Center’s guide on law enforcement interactions help trans individuals navigate complex legal landscapes, while webinars such as “OWL Taking Flight” explore the broader impact of identity-erasing policies. Listening to trans voices, like those of Jake and Hannah Graf, remains essential in challenging harmful narratives and fostering understanding.
Act:
“Trans Lifeline is primarily funded by individual donors; donations of all sizes are deeply appreciated and put to good use to help us deliver our lifesaving services to those who need them most. Recurring gifts are especially useful to provide a sustainable foundation today and into the future as we anticipate increased demand for our services.”
Read:
“A bar owner in South Carolina reportedly spied on a trans man while he used a women’s restroom stall and then called him anti-trans slurs shortly before police detained and charged the trans man for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. The trans man, who said he was sober and not creating a disturbance on the night in question, shared his experience on the video-sharing platform TikTok and is now crowdfunding his move to California, where he expects to feel safer.”
Learn:
“The information contained in this guide is not legal advice. If you have questions or concerns about a specific situation, you should speak to an attorney in your area. The information contained in this guide is as up-to-date and accurate as possible at the time of publication, but laws and circumstances are constantly changing. If you have questions specific to your situation, contact Transgender Law Center’s Legal Information Helpdesk.”
Join:
June 4, 2025 12:00 pm Eastern time (US and Canada)
Heather Corinna, founder of Scarleteen.com, joins Dr. Melanie Davis (UUA) and Rev. Amy Johnson (UCC) to discuss the impact of policies, laws, and executive orders on the lives of trans/intersex/nonbinary/queer people of all ages. Scarleteen is the largest online resource for comprehensive and highly inclusive sex and relationships education, information and support centering young people.
Link to register and receive resources mentioned during the webinar. This webinar will be live streamed and archived for later viewing on UCC and UUA Our Whole Lives webpages.
Watch/Listen:
“At a time when the media is so focused on transgender lives – often in a negative way – it’s important to listen to transgender voices.
Jake and Hannah Graf are the UK’s most prominent transgender couple and are proud champions of the LGBT community. This is a chance to hear about their personal journeys and their perspectives on a range of issues affecting trans people.
In this thought-provoking conversation, Jake and Hannah cover transitioning, familial support, toxic media narratives, and how educational institutions can support transgender learners.”
Decriminalization & Immigration
Criminalization and dehumanization are a political and spiritual project. We must dismantle the false idea that safety for some must come at the expense of safety for others. As people of faith, we cannot affirm the worth and dignity of all while privileging the well-being of a chosen few. We proclaim a future where care and safety are abundant because our relationships are cultivated through mutuality, not domination.
Migrant detention and deportation. The school to prison network and mass incarceration. Unceasing police violence toward Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. Bills making protest and resistance movements illegal. Laws criminalizing poverty, gender identity and expression, sex work, abortion, accessing and providing health care. All of these forms of criminalization are used by the state to disrupt, disempower, and dehumanize our communities.
Act:
Oppose the “Autism registry”: Support resistance to criminalization through registration!
Call your representatives to demand they take action to stop the U.S. from sending people to countries they have no connection to, where extreme violence against migrants and incarcerated people has been documented. View a database of those disappeared by ICE and a map: of last known locations here
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced protections for people who report private health care information indicating that minors are receiving gender-affirming care to law enforcement, and established a snitch line to reporting health care providers to HHS. Speak out and show up in support of health care providers serving trans youth in your community! Re: the snitch line: you know what to do 😇
Read:
SiembraNC posted immigration successes: “Interrupting the government-issued doom scroll with a friendly reminder que seguimos GANANDO ✊🏽 (that we keep WINNING)”
Join:
Understanding Federal Court Decisions about Immigration - Tuesday, June 3 from 1:30pm-3:30 pm (PT)
Protect what matters: Digital security for movement organizers - Friday, June 13 at 9am PT / 12pm ET
Watch/Listen:
Watch: Care is Our Legacy: Preparing Our Community for the Skrmetti Decision on Tues. June 3 at 4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET, live on Transgender Law Center’s YouTube Channel
Climate Justice
A just and loving world is a flourishing world. If we are to realize a world with no fossil fuels, where clean energy is a human right, and all beings thrive, we need new systems, norms, approaches, and ways of being to bring that world into existence.
The Update:
A recent study shared in Anthropocene Magazine tested different interventions for instigating climate action in people to find those that work the best. “We found that guiding people to imagine the future of climate change, especially scenarios that involved oneself and close others, was the most effective way to motivate action,” says study team member Alyssa Sinclair, a postdoctoral researcher in the Communication Neuroscience Lab and the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Specifically, these interventions included “imagining oneself experiencing negative effects of climate change in the future” and “writing a letter to a child about one’s efforts to secure a livable planet for that child to read as an adult.” Responding to calls-to-action, sharing climate news on social media, and talking about climate action with others were some of the climate actions recorded in the study. In a previous study also cited in the story, the letter writing was equally effective for people with politically conservative views in the US “who tend to be skeptical about climate change and climate action.” Future-oriented climate justice thinking is what UUA’s Climate Justice Revival and Green Sanctuary 2030 programs are designed to nurture.
Act:
Put these interventions into personal practice: write a letter to a child as an adult in their climate future
Bring this practice into your day-to-day relationship with others: talk about what you hope your climate future will be with other people you don’t know well in the community
Read:
Anthropocene Magazine: Many people believe climate change is happening, but must don’t act. Why?
PNAS: Behavioral interventions motivate action to address climate change
Learn:
To inspire you: Mayors are making climate action personal. It’s working.
Hawaii becomes first US state to charge “Green Fee” on tourists
Join:
Green Sanctuary 2030 Orientations are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 4pm PT - 5pm MT - 6pm CT - 7pm ET. Sign up here!
June 4, 2025 6:00 PM-7:00 PM CT
Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice provides structure, leadership and support, in broad collaboration, for the UU faith community to engage in an ambitious environmental and climate justice movement that seeks to live fully our principles and achieve our vision of a sustainable and just world for all.