Hello! I'm a 22 year old college student in the southeastern USA. I am studying to become a teacher and I'm lowkey pretty nervous bc of my sexuality. I'm in the closet. Are there any lesbian elementary, middle, or high school teachers here? What effect has your sexuality had on your career?

Hi! Queer, poly, genderqueer, activist, drag/burlesque performer 27 year old preschool teacher for 6 years here. Any one of those things could have typically gotten me fired in some places.

I had serious concerns when I was first on the job market like you are, especially since it coincided when I was coming to terms with my gender identity, and I had no role models to look up to about how to do things as an under represented person on education. There were a couple of rules that I abided by that really helped me get to where I am now. For reference, I grew up in a low income family with immigrant parents in Philadelphia, a pretty socially liberal area in most (but not all) parts.

  • Pick your battles with applications. If you have some experience with queer organizing or leadership, and are hesitant to put that on your resume for a job as valuable information regarding your ability, then it's probably not a place you'll be happy at even if you do get in. One of my biggest education related jobs before graduating was being the head coordinator for the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference Kids Camp, where I transformed the space from "dump your kids here" into a one room schoolhouse for trans kids, siblings of trans kids
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