In a move that has reignited the culture wars inside America’s classrooms, the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers’ union, is facing mounting backlash after rolling out internal training materials centered on “LGBTQ justice,” teaching staff about neopronouns and xeopronouns, and explicitly framing conservatives as ideological “villains.”
The LGBTQ and transgender material shared at the NEA gathering, reveal a striking shift away from traditional labor advocacy and toward overt political activism. Public school teachers largely have no choice about joining the education union and having dues stripped from their paychecks to cover NEA programs political donations. Conservative critics argue the NEA has moved far beyond negotiating pay and working conditions and is now using member dues to advance a rigid ideological worldview that many parents and teachers never signed up for.
Defending Ed obtained conference PowerPoint presentations that reveal a heightened focus on race, class, and gender justice, as well as campaign-building, transgender terminology, transition plans, and gender ideology.
— Defending Education (@DefendingEd) December 16, 2025
“When someone calls you and tells you they are transitioning, do not question them about what they are doing,” NEA gathering attendees were told, according to material obtained by watchdog group, Defending Education.
Among the most controversial elements of the National Education Association training is instruction on so-called neopronouns, including xe, xem, xyr, and even more abstract constructions that bear little resemblance to conventional language. NEA educators are strongly encouraged to treat these terms as normal, expected, and beyond debate, despite widespread confusion and skepticism from the public. To conservative critics and concerned parents, it raises a simple question: why are NEA teachers being trained in niche identity terminology while students nationwide continue to struggle with basic literacy and math skills?
The National Education Association materials reportedly stress that gender is not determined at birth and terminology is fluid and constantly evolving. The NEA training materials maintain teachers should not question or challenge an individual’s self-identification under any circumstances.
But it is the NEA political framing that has generated the loudest outrage. Training sessions urge participants to identify and confront conservative “villains” who supposedly threaten the education union’s values, a category that includes conservative parents, lawmakers, and activists. Conservatives are described as deploying harmful rhetoric and stereotypes, language that critics say amounts to demonization of millions of Americans who simply disagree with progressive LGBTQ ideology.
The double standard has not gone unnoticed. Observers point out that if a conservative nonprofit instructed its members to label liberals or LGBTQ advocacy groups as villains, the backlash would be immediate and relentless. Social media campaigns, cable news panels, and editorials would decry the rhetoric as dangerous, hateful, and extreme. Yet when the NEA uses similar language, much of the mainstream response has been muted.
1/ 🧵The nation’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association, has rolled out its “Race Class Gender Narrative” playbook on trans issues, and the specifics are shocking. The materials repeatedly talk about their “side” and openly vilify “the right” and… pic.twitter.com/IITZ0P2zXp
— Kendall Tietz (@kendall_tietz) November 20, 2025
Parents’ groups and education watchdogs argue that the national education union’s approach to LGBTQ and transgender risks further eroding trust in public schools. Many conservative families already feel alienated by what they see as political messaging creeping into classrooms, and labeling ideological opponents as villains only deepens that divide. For parents who want schools to focus on academics rather than activism, the NEA’s direction feels like confirmation of their worst fears.
Even some current and former NEA educators have expressed discomfort. They say the majority of teachers entered the profession to teach children, not to serve as foot soldiers in a LGBTQ cultural or political battle. Several have warned that the union’s aggressive posture may ultimately harm teachers by provoking legislative pushback and accelerating the flight of families toward alternative education options. The number of homeschool families in America have skyrocketed since Covid.
Defenders of the NEA insist the training is about inclusion and protecting vulnerable students. They argue that acknowledging diverse LGBTQ identities and confronting discrimination are necessary steps toward safer learning environments. But critics counter that inclusion should not require ideological conformity, nor should it involve branding dissenters as enemies. Concerns over girls being forced to share rest rooms, locker rooms, and play on sports teams with biological males continue to make headlines.
As classrooms become yet another frontline in America’s culture wars, the latest NEA controversy underscores a growing concern: when powerful nonprofit institutions openly take sides and cast political opponents as villains, they risk undermining the very public trust they depend on. Whether this moment with the National Education Association and its LGBTQ training guidelines for teachers sparks meaningful accountability or simply hardens existing divisions, remains to be seen.
