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A Personal Narrative of LGBT Identity and Activism
Author(s) -
Gedro Julie
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
new horizons in adult education and human resource development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1939-4225
DOI - 10.1002/nha3.10349
Subject(s) - narrative , citation , identity (music) , state (computer science) , empire , sociology , media studies , gender studies , library science , political science , law , literature , computer science , aesthetics , art , algorithm
This essay connects part of a life story—mine—with part of a reflection upon practice. Delighted as I was to be invited to write an essay for this journal on the practice of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) workplace training, it became evident to me that in order to fully address LGBT workplace training practice, it would befit such a piece to include a personal narrative of coming to terms with being a lesbian. The primary reason for this is that my lesbianism is what drew me to becoming an LGBT workplace equality activist, educator, and trainer. I did not seek out that as a “cause” but rather through my own life experiences, I learned about what it means to traverse through life in the late 20th century (and hopefully, well into the 21st century) as a lesbian. Additionally, I have learned how to negotiate an arguably successful life as a lesbian, including career success. I have learned about sexism, heterosexism, homophobia; I have learned and witnessed the discriminatory effects of wage discrimination as Badgett (1995) and Badgett and Frank (2007) have studied and empirically proven, and, importantly from a practice perspective, I have learned how to model for others compassion, self-confidence, and an inquisitive and curious nature. The purpose of this essay, therefore, is to describe my individual journey of LGBT identity and how that journey has informed my LGBT activism as manifested in the LGBT training and education work that I do.