A longtime advocate for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ staff and students, Frank Burger became the first recipient of MEA’s new Gerry Crane Human and Civil Rights Award, named after a west Michigan teacher whose tragic story inspired others to action.

A 28-year educator in the Flint-area Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools, Burger advises the high school’s Prism Club, which is a place for LGBTQ students to come together for support and to plan activities to promote understanding.

He brings in speakers to raise awareness and takes students to the BAMM Pride Summit, a free one-day youth summit held in Grand Rapids each spring for the past dozen years by the non-profit Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH).

Burger’s advocacy extends to the state and national levels. He chairs the MEA LGBTQ+ Caucus and is co-director of this region’s NEA LGBTQ+ Caucus, delivering trainings to fellow members across the country.

His work has made an invaluable impact on generations of students, MEA Vice President Brett Smith said in presenting the award.

“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.

Burger has played numerous roles in his local, state and national unions, currently serving as C-AEA president. He has previously been a region president and MEA and NEA board member.

Burger bargained non-discrimination language into the Carman-Ainsworth contract, made contract language gender-neutral, and bargained benefits supporting inclusion of all members, said nominator Sandra Cawood, a teacher at Carman-Ainsworth High School.

“Students, staff and community members have all benefited from activities and speakers he organized and his sharing of knowledge on how to best provide education, awareness and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people,” Cawood said.

More than 25 years ago, Burger started the Safe Space program at Carman-Ainsworth Middle School to identify places where all students could go to find acceptance.

Burger credited his family, his union, and school administration for supporting his work in the face of increasing attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. He also cited Crane, a gay educator who was bullied out of his job as a music teacher in 1996 and died a year later.

“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 in his acceptance speech. “We will never be erased, ever.”

Read More: Four MEA award winners named for 2026

• David McMahon Human Rights Award — Kathleen Kosobud
• Maurine Wyatt Feminist and Gender Equity Award — Wendy Winston
• Educational Excellence Award — Daniel Clason
• Gerry Crane Human and Civil Rights Award — Frank Burger