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Opportunity to network and support each other

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Important to have support from others with similar experiences

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They are critically important. Being gay is not always easy so it is vital that we have each other for support

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An unusual one:  The Old Gays!   Omg, have you seen these fellas?  They are hilarious

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An unusual one:  The Old Gays!   Omg, have you seen these fellas?  They are hilarious

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A sense of community. 🌈 Also, people to bounce ideas off of.

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Yes, they provide a safe space to have difficult conversations without judgment.

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Having been described as “a great brightness in the country genre”, American singer-songwriter Andrew Mitch occupies a ‘not-so-well-known’ niche in the very conservative country music world. His songs blend the shimmering sonics of modern country-pop with the captivating ballad rhythms and lyrics of an openly queer artist. Andrew grew up singing in church, taught himself instruments and record engineering. Soon, he began writing, recording, and producing songs in his bedroom. After coming out as queer, the singer moved to Nashville to pursue a full-time career in country music. With some traction on social media, his debut single “all in my head” reached #94 on the U.S. iTunes Country charts, with the tear-jerking tag line “they’ll just wish you were a girl instead”. Following his equally emotional singles “wish it was you” and “don’t wanna got to heaven”, his rapidly growing fanbase funded the completion of the first part of his debut album: “feeling outside the lines (side a)”.

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Fairly easy thankfully - to my knowledge I am the only openly gay staff member. I got engaged in November of my first year and when people saw my ring and asked, I was quick to say "she" proposed to me... people have been supportive. Some parents have not been as kind.

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Homophobic parents or students

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Madeline Person

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I have had everything from full support to disdain (and even warnings of “What are you going to do if a student doesn’t want to work with you?).

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I have been in six districts, all with varying levels of out, depending on my life situation at the time.

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Support and navigating today

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Support - we have an affinity group for the district, and a number of out LGBTQ+ staff members.

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Support and navigating our reality of today

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I was caught off guard by students who asked me ~5 years ago and I had to make a quick decision whether or not to be honest. Not wanting to demonstrate shame, I chose honesty.

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I was caught off guard by students who asked me ~5 years ago and I had to make a quick decision whether or not to be honest. Not wanting to demonstrate shame, I chose honesty.

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Safe space to explore our work

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Luckily in most of the schools where I have been out I feel very supported and treated no different than anyone else, at least to my face.

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Not supported - unchecked anti-LGBTQ+ language being used by staff and students. Really crappy parent meeting story.

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Marsha P. Johnson documentary on Netflix

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Marsha P. Johnson documentary on Netflix

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That students will not respect me or work with me because I am gay.

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It's been interesting. I work in a very red town. After the election, I've been very careful to not display certain things

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When I first came out it was the hardest thing I ever did in public at my work...

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Difficulties = Feeling like the “token gay”. People not understanding my life at all. Being viewed as an outsider.

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Transparent

Every Body

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My work has been very progressive in this area

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Plug for my best friend!

www.musicbygiuliano.com

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Homophobia...

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Ryan Murphy - I love the stories he is a part of creating. He has been behind so many TV shows that have given a voice to the gay community. The same applies to RuPaul spreading the message of love.

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Spoiler Alert 😔

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Adam Lambert