The mission of Pride Houston is to educate, commemorate, and celebrate. I’d like to focus our attention on that first, foundational bit. One kind of education teaches skills toward a job that earns money. I believe education can also be revolutionary; after all, the Latin root educere means “to lead out.” That kind of education is how we lead each other out of darkness by sharing light—light that we discover we can hold and pass on to others. That kind…
teacher
To Cecil: The Power of Being Out in the Classroom
Posted on August 8, 2018I 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…
Classroom Coming Out: A Queer Teacher Shares Her Identity with Students
Posted on August 2, 2017As 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…