10/22/2018
LGBTQ and Allied Employees at ED Celebrates LGBTQ History Month (Part 1)
ED staff who identify as le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender, q***r (LGBTQ) and/or community allies (A) were interviewed in honor of LGBTQ History Month. They had the opportunity to share their thoughts about historical issues, progress made, and struggles the community continues to face to this day. Over the next two weeks, LGBTQ and Allied Employees at ED will share profile summaries of these interviews. This is a way for ED employees to hear from various members of the LGBTQA+ community in the Department, positive and negative experiences, and their hopeful and wary perspectives of the future. If you are interested in learning more about LGBTQ and Allied Employees at ED or connecting with the community, please contact the group at [email protected].
For more information about this project, please contact [email protected].
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The Known not Spoken of…
Despite the overall progress of the LGBTQ+ community, there are groups within that community that are still in the shadows. Countess Clarke Cooper, who has been with the Department of Education for 26 years, has experienced this reality. In the past, as someone who identifies as bisexual, she has had a hard time finding a sense of community. Unfortunately, there is still some invisibility and silence around bisexuality. Progress has been made, but in some specific communities, not as much progress is felt. “There is no talk of sexual orientation; it doesn’t exist in the language of institutionalized…settings in the communities I frequent–the African-American community-at-large and the African-American religious community in particular,” says Cooper. She suggests that this is a product of the history of oppression the culture has experienced over time. Sexual orientation is not widely discussed, as it is overshadowed by other pressing issues within the community like education, mass incarceration, housing, etc. Therefore, Cooper describes the bisexual community as “a known not spoken of,” and has struggled finding people in her circles to discuss issues affecting the bisexual community.
Throughout her life, Cooper's mother greatly influenced her by always encouraging her to “be [herself] and think for [herself],” and expected her to be a leader and do great things. With this, Cooper expresses her newfound goal to “be more of me where I am,” rather than compartmentalize life. Another important influence was the affinity group at ED. “I became vocal about my whole self and not a compartment of myself thanks to LGBTQ and Allied Employees at ED,” says Cooper. Through her almost five years of involvement, she has had a platform and a voice where she can be heard. Through the affinity group, Cooper has been able to meet like-minded people. Finding a community allows people to realize that they are not alone, which gives her a confidence she is able to carry with her outside of the workplace.
Additionally, she points out that stigma against LGBTQ+-identified individuals continues to impact the workforce. She addresses how the “LGB” groups have more privileges than the “T,” since part of finding and expressing their identity is more visible to others. Regardless of the privileges found within the community, she sees herself as a part of the whole community, and the communities within as a part of her. “We must not forget about the struggles of individual groups within the greater LGBTQ+ community," she says. Overall, Cooper would like to see employees and leaders have conversations and get to know one another better, which will hopefully lead to more respect, smiles, and other unspoken gestures of welcome and inclusion in the workplace.
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Perspective of an Ally
Looking for a community to voice her challenges as the mother of a transgender, non-binary child, Jill Martin joined LGBTQ and Allied Employees at ED. As an ally, Martin is an advocate for children who go through trauma and mental bullying due to gender dysphoria, and are stereotyped into, as she states, “what a girl or a boy should be like.” She calls for them to be seen as people, and not being defined by the body they are born into.
In the past, seeing members of LGBTQ and Allied Employees at ED come together with groups like Supporting ED’s Parents highlighted progress to Martin. The formation of these connections provides an environment for open conversation on a topic she isn’t able to easily talk about with friends.
In the future, Martin would like to see people be more inclusive of gender and not just sexual orientation issues. While her child has found a group of people where they feel accepted, Martin still struggles to be understood and embraced as a mother of a non-binary child. She finds herself having to explain to friends the difference between gender and sexual orientation because many do not understand these concepts and how they differ. She calls for more “awareness on creating inclusive environments of gender and not just sexual orientation issues.”
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