Browsing Tag

educator

AFAF 6: Teaching Sexuality Education to Future Hispanic and Latinx Generations with Agnes Jimenez

A photo of the Asking for a Friend podcast with Dr. Laura McGuire.

On the season one finale of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire sits down with Agnes Jimenez, sexuality educator, doula, and Marine Corps veteran, to discuss her experiences growing up as a Puerto Rican lesbian in the military, how she found her calling as a sex educator, and how she’s actively fighting the generational stigma around sex and sexuality within Hispanic and Latinx communities. Agnes Jimenez (she/her) is a sexuality educator, is of Taina Afro-Caribbean descent,…

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Some Heroes Wear Flags: Texas Educator Brings Pride and Acceptance to the Classroom

A photo of openly gay Texas educator Bill Becker.

Beads of sweat slide down the skin of weary travelers as the terminal’s oppressive heat overwhelms the expansive silver hall. A tall, slender man sits at the gate—in one hand, a ticket to China; in the other, a phone he has forced to sleep. Just moments before it entered its slumber, the phone was used to deliver a critical text message—revealing the man’s truth. The young man, face flushed from the persistent heat, sentenced any impending response to wait within a…

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To Cecil: The Power of Being Out in the Classroom

An illustration of a queer professor in the classroom.

I went to college at UNC-Chapel Hill in the early 1990s. To my recollection, only one of the professors I knew was ever “out” in the classroom—we’ll call him “Cecil.” He and a woman colleague co-taught “Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient World,” and I confess, I enrolled mostly because it had “gender and sexuality” in the course title. I wasn’t alone, either. A clump of us queer kids sat in the front row of that auditorium, eager to learn…

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Spectrum South Snapshot #3: Shane Farmer

A photo of queer South Carolinian Shane Farmer

I think most people would look at me and believe that I am a plain boring boy next door. I identify as a white, gay, cisgender male. However, I find that my skin features sometimes throw a lot of people off—my darker complexion and other characteristics cause many people to mistake me for Hispanic/Latin (I’ve literally been asked if I’m “like white white”). I grew up in a working-class family where my mom dropped out of high school to take…

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Classroom Coming Out: A Queer Teacher Shares Her Identity with Students

Photo of queer teacher, Dr. Laura McGuire at Axelrad Beer Garden in Houston, Texas.

As a brand new teacher, my students bombarded me with question after question. At first, I was scared—teachers are warned against sharing too much information about themselves at school, as it breaks down the student/teacher relationship and gives students ammunition to taunt and tease. Plus, I was young—only 25—and still coming to terms with my queerness. On one hand, I yearned to be a role model for my students and to reveal my authenticity. On the other hand, I wanted…

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