Carman-Ainsworth teacher honored with MEA human and civil rights award

FLINT, Michigan — Frank Burger, a longtime Carman-Ainsworth teacher and advocate for LGBTQ+ students and educators, has been named the first recipient of the Michigan Education Association’s new Gerry Crane Human and Civil Rights Award.

Burger has spent 28 years as an educator in Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools and serves as an adviser for the district’s Prism Club, a student group that supports LGBTQ students and plans activities that promote understanding.

Through that role, Burger has helped organize field trips, bring in guest speakers, and create a consistent space of support for students.

MEA Vice President Brett Smith, also a Genesee County teacher, said Burger’s work has made a lasting impact on students across the region.

“Frank has made that impact both by being a great high school science teacher and through his dedication to making schools safe and welcoming for all,” Smith said.

In addition to his work at Carman-Ainsworth, Burger has advocated for LGBTQ+ students and educators at the state and national levels.

He chairs the MEA LGBTQ+ Caucus and co-chairs his NEA regional LGBTQ+ Caucus, where he helps lead trainings for educators across the country.

Burger said his advocacy has been supported by his family, fellow educators, and union colleagues, especially amid increasing attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.

The award is named after Gerry Crane, a Byron Center High School music teacher who was publicly bullied out of his job in 1996 for being gay. Crane died of a heart attack the following year at age 32.

“His story is what inspires me to do the work that I do, because I don’t want anybody to feel unsafe in school, whether it’s our students or our members,” Burger said. “We will never be erased — ever.”