Editor’s Note: While we generally reserve the blog for student voices, as part of CP&R’s Gaypril celebration we interviewed alumna Berenice Villela ’12 and thought her advice was too good not to share. Enjoy this perspective from a former student, and check out the resources for LGBTQ+ job searchers at the bottom!
Berenice Villela ’12 is a 7th grade math teacher at the Oakland Unified School District. She is openly out at her workplace, and has some tips for how people can be an ally at work.
“One of the perks of working in Oakland is having teachers and administrative staff that identify as LGBTQ,” Berenice said. “At my student teaching placement, the principal was an out lesbian with a child entering the kindergarten class at the school. At my current school, I am not the only out teacher. It makes such an impact to have that community, or at least to connect with people who are queer and working in your field.”
Berenice has actively sought to develop this community more herself, by marking her space as a safe space and involving allies.
“I started a GSA for the students, trained my staff on the protections LGBTQ students have, and have found support from my colleagues and students,” Berenice said. “One way to be an ally in the workplace is to have a visible marker that identifies your space (be it office or classroom) as a safe place for LGBTQ folks. Pink triangles or equality symbols are recognizable for many in the community as a symbol for supporting LGBTQ community. Those markers alone help colleagues or clients know that they are in a safe space.”
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Berenice!
Additional Resources
Blogger and Career Consultant AnnE dug up some great additional resources for anyone considering coming out in their workplace, or anyone who wants to be an ally.
- Looking for a job? Check out Glassdoor’s interview with Kirk Snyder (author of Lavender Road to Success) and Julie Beach (Associate Director of Career Development at Out & Equal Workplace Advocates) for advice to deal with the added pressures LGBTQ+ individuals need to consider when searching for jobs.
- Helpful tips on how to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality in your office from the Human Rights Campaign. (If you’re a leader at work, Everyday Feminism has some advice specifically for bosses to create an inclusive workspace.)
- The Human Right’s Campaign has tips for coming out at your job, as well as more specific intersectional guidebooks to come out as transgender, or for LGBTQ+ individuals of Asian Pacific Islander, Latino/a, or African American descent.
- Here’s resources about the availability of transgender-inclusive group health insurance plans, workplace dress codes and transgender employees, and workplace gender transition guidelines.
- For more general resources, be sure to check out Out&Equal.org, Catalyst, and the Human Rights Campaign.