Teachers Union Boss Claims Antisemitism, Homophobia ‘Rolled Into’ Attacks On Her

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten claimed Monday that antisemitism and homophobia were “rolled into” criticism of her, while also claiming that she sought to reopen schools in 2020.

Weingarten claimed that the criticism of her stemmed from an attack on her being Jewish and a lesbian during an interview with Julia Manchester, the national political correspondent for The Hill. She also claimed that she pushed to reopen schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite opposing efforts to do so.

“If I let them bully me, what about every educator, what about every worker, what about every vulnerable student?” Weingarten said. “And the other thing I’ve come to learn is if you’re a member of a minority group … There’s lots of antisemitism. I happen to be married to a rabbi and I happen to really believe in my faith, and there’s a lot of homophobia, and I happen to be the first out lesbian as a labor leader in the country, ever. And so this kind of attack of identity, that’s all rolled into it, too.”