I'm finished with classes for my last semester. I graduate in May with my Bachelor's degree in education. I will be tutoring adults in an adult education class while I study for the exam for certification. I will be moving onto to graduate school in the fall for my Master's degree in education.
Sometime in the future I will pursue a master's in Gender Studies. As a future educator, the needs of LGBT students will have to be addressed in our educational institutions. Teachers will need to know how to address and relate to students whose gender does not conform to the rigid binary that is enforced, directly and indirectly. I will have to take a more open stance on these matters because it affects many people. Fellow teachers, administrators, parents, and school districts will have to see that we are here to stay. LGBT students deserve the same opportunity and quality education as anyone else with out worrying about being bullied or harassed or ignored.
Sometimes a person may have to go against the grain of conventional thought. I have in an indirect and quiet way. I know that some day I will have to do this in the public sector and I am willing to do it. Doing what is right is more important to me than what is convenient or the'norm'. History reflects this over and over. I am long past the point of what the greater society thinks about me and my gender expression.