Welcome to the Action Center Weekly Update. Each week, we’ll share:
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.
Democracy
Core Principle: Democracy is not a destination but a practice rooted in interdependence and the worth and dignity of all. While authoritarianism consolidates power, we are the majority—and we must organize to build a truly multiracial democracy.
The Update:
Today, there is still no resolution to prevent a government shutdown. With the GOP holding power across the White House, Senate, and House, they may choose to make a deal internally, or they may need to negotiate with Democrats to avoid a showdown.
Activists and organizers have been clear: “No funding for fascism,” “No bankrolling billionaires.” We are part of a majority that believes in a democracy by and for the people. Every step toward consolidating more power in this authoritarian regime threatens our ability to fight for universal democracy.
Take Action:
Take action with UUSJ to Stop the SAVE Act.
Resources:
Join: People Power United on Oct 1 for “Healthcare Not Authoritarian”
Watch/Listen: “Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Collective Action” with Michael Podhorzer and Anat Shenker-Osorio
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:
As right-wing attacks on bodily autonomy intensify—targeting both transgender rights and reproductive freedom—faith-based and community responses rooted in liberation, care, and respect are more crucial than ever. Becoming an OWL (Our Whole Lives) Facilitator offers a meaningful way to counter this harm through values-based education on sexuality, identity, and expression. Opportunities to get trained (virtually or in person) are available now, and community support in facilitating these training is vital. Additionally, gatherings like The Woodlands on October 4th and the trans and reproductive rights webinar on October 8th provide spaces for support, learning, and resistance.
Meanwhile, misinformation campaigns, such as the Heritage Foundation’s use of manipulated statistics to criminalize trans people, show how data is being weaponized to justify further marginalization. Resources like Wired’s exposé, the Bathroom Safety & Bystander Toolkit, and Pregnancy Justice’s upcoming webinar on pregnancy criminalization offer crucial insight and tools for action. These educational opportunities equip individuals and communities to challenge stigma, advocate for safety, and protect the most vulnerable amid coordinated political and cultural assaults.
Take Action:
Get trained as an OWL (Our Whole Lives) Facilitator!
As attacks on bodily autonomy continue to grow, it is an essential act of love and faith to engage in religious education that centers respect, liberation, and care for bodies of all kinds. Find out about when different OWL (Our Whole Lives) Facilitator trainings are being held (both online and in-person) here and sign up (and/or support someone else in your community in getting trained!)
Resources:
Read:
Heritage Foundation Uses Bogus Stat to Push a Trans Terrorism Classification
“By inflating numbers and narrowing definitions, Heritage promotes a false link between transgender identity and violence in its push for the FBI to create a new terrorism category.” - read the full story by Wired here!Learn:
TOOLKIT Bathroom Safety & Bystander Support: Responding to Anti-Trans Harassment “Public bathrooms should be safe for everyone. But for many transgender and gender nonconforming people, they can be sites of harassment or questioning. Whether you’re a person being targeted for harassment or a witness, understanding how to respond in these situations with small actions can make a big difference.”Join:
The Woodlands is gathering again for the second time on October 4th, 2025 (TIME: 4:00pm EST / 3:00pm CST / 2:00pm MST / 1:00pm PST) Come and join this all ages trans pastoral care program (includes families and caregivers of trans & non-binary people). Find out more information and register here!
Trans and Repro Rights: Right-wing Attacks on Bodily Autonomy
(Wednesday, Oct 8, 2025 11AM PT/2pm ET)
Join Netroots Nation for this webinar that brings critical analysis and strategies for the intersectional work of liberating our bodies. ”As threats to trans rights and health care spread across the country, anti-trans campaigners are adopting well-established tactics from the anti-abortion movement…Our session will offer a deep dive into the coordinated attacks from the right, as well as the impact these attacks have on marginalized communities, including youth and people of color. We will strategize on how progressives can work across the reproductive justice and LGBTQ advocacy spaces to divert the common threat and protect vulnerable communities across the country.” Registration closes the morning of October 8 - sign up here!
Watch/Listen:
Policing Pregnancy: Pregnancy Criminalization - “Hear from the Pregnancy Justice research team, along with state-based advocates and practitioners, as we launch our latest findings on pregnancy-related criminal charges in the first two years after Dobbs.”September 30 at 3 pm ET. Register for the free zoom webinar today.” (via Pregnancy Justice)
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:
We are witnessing further consolidation of authoritarianism in the U.S. with 35,000 US troops deployed domestically. This weekend, Trump threatened to send troops to Portland, but South Carolina ended their national guard deployment in DC. Meanwhile, the regime is seeking to further criminalize protest with its executive order labeling the non-existent “antifa” group as a domestic terrorist organization and is preparing to send an additional $6.4 billion in weapons to support Israel’s genocide in Palestine. This increase in militarization at home and abroad doesn’t make anyone safer. As people of conscience, we know that all people deserve safety in their communities with investments in health care, housing, and community. We must keep pressuring our elected leaders to demilitarize all communities while we work with one another to build pockets of safety through organizing and mutual aid. (with thanks to Interrupting Criminalization’s monthly update for framing and content)
Take Action:
Health should not depend on immigration status. Everyone deserves to be healthy and have access to affordable health care, regardless of how long they have been in the US or the status they have been granted. Passage of the Health Equity and Access under the Law (HEAL) Act would remove political interference and restore coverage so that immigrants in the U.S. can participate in health care programs fully. Viruses and diseases do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, or national origin – people, courts, politicians, and policies do. No one should be denied health care coverage based on where they were born. Take action today and tell your lawmakers to cosponsor the HEAL Act.
Write Congress to demand that they protect the Global Sumud Flotilla from attack! The Flotilla, made up of over 50 boats from 44 countries, is headed to the shores of Gaza to break the siege, carrying much needed food, medicine, and supplies. They are now under constant drone surveillance and threat by the occupation.
Resources:
Read:
Read the Movement For Black Lives tribute to Assata Shakur, who died last week.
The Intercept’s piece on Trump’s Troop Deployment in the U.S. climbing to 35,000 people.
Learn:
Join:
Defend and Recruit’s upcoming Immigrant Defense Strategies training Sept 30, 8pm ET (also Oct 23, Nov 17, Dec 10) This introduction training will cover the basics of your immigration defense, including starting an ICE watch, launching a solidarity fund, building Fourth Amendment Workplaces, winning municipal resolutions and legislation to support our communities, and taking on the corporations enabling ICE, like Avelo Airlines.
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:
During President Trump’s address to the United Nations General Assembly last week, he called climate change a ‘con job’, climate scientists ‘stupid people’, and renewable energy a ‘green scam’, a ‘joke’, and ‘pathetic’.
Today, Trump announced a plan to rescue the coal industry with a $925 Million investment, opening 13.1 million acres of federal land for mining, and eliminating pollution limits even though coal industry executives are expressing concerns.
Renewables are the lowest-cost and quickest-to-deploy energy source, according to the industry standard Lazard LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) Report. In 2024, renewables generated more (17%) energy than coal (15%) and also met the growing demand for energy more quickly than fossil fuel sources in the US. As we shared last week, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reaffirmed that rising temperatures risk public health and that climate change is beyond scientific dispute. Climate change threatens our communities and harms public health. Fossil fuels - like coal - increase the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
Unitarian Universalists have been strong, consistent advocates for clean energy and climate action. Climate change is connected to all of the justice issues we fight so hard against. We must fight against these attacks on renewables and climate denialism to achieve a livable future. Our advocacy has never been more important. Connect with your elected officials - city, county, state, federal - to tell them how as people of faith we are obligated to act with courage in the face of threats to our collective future. We are both part of the interdependent web of existence and accountable to it.
Take Action:
Talk to your elected officials about climate change. These 13 tips can help.
Advocate for climate action in town halls, public hearings, and anywhere the future of your community is addressed.
Resources:
Read:
Trump called climate change a ‘con job’ at the United Nations. Here are the facts and context
Yale Climate Connections Program’s 13 tips for lobbying your elected officials about climate change
The National Resources Defence Council How and Where to Speak Out about Climate Change
Watch/Listen:
Join
October 1, 2025 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET
Did you know that the completely revitalized Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice has just one requirement for annual Recognition? Monthly Office Hours are here 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 come to the office hours to get all your questions answered.
Claiming Our Power to Fight for a Clean Energy Future - Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting
October 15, 2025 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET
Advocating at Public Utility Commissions is an incredibly impactful way to shape our energy future. It's also a hugely overlooked opportunity! Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) regulate utility prices, resource planning and acquisition, reliability and quality of service regulation. If you’re not sure what that all means, you’re not alone! Advocating for fair utility regulations can be intimidating to outsiders, which benefits those who are more concerned with profit than people. PUCs wield significant power and their decisions affect clean energy and air quality, impacting both greenhouse gas mitigation and climate resilience. Learn how the UU Georgia Legislative Action Network is making good trouble for climate justice as they remind the Georgia Utility Commissioners and Elected Officials that people have the power to choose a just and moral path for our energy future.