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Should I Have Come Out to My Students?
On keeping it real in the classroom
“Do you consider yourself part of the LGBTQ community?”
The text caught me off guard. Of course. Then I realized: Why would he know — I never said anything.
I’d shared a link to Austin Monroe’s article about queer culture with a former English students (let’s call him Jay). He’d responded with an applause emoji — and the question.
Jay is out and proud as a Catholic teenager in a small, conservative Spanish town. His joie de vivre made every class a delight. I admired the hell out of him, but never said anything about being bi myself.
Playing safe
I’ll just be supportive, I thought.
So I taught poems by Mary Oliver and CP Cavafy, brought Attitude magazine to class along with Vogue and Wanderlust, and expressed due reverence for the fierceness of Queen Bey and Lady Gaga. That’s cool, right?
Keeping quiet
Jay’s question got under my skin because, really, he shouldn’t have had to ask.
“Definitely,” I texted back. “Wasn’t quite sure about bringing it up in class.”
The more I think about it (and it’s been a lot) the poorer an excuse that seems.
