|
In October of 2002, I married a woman. No, it wasn’t an official marriage
– two women can’t officially marry in New York. But we had a wedding, during
which we committed to each other in the presence of Higher Power and with
the blessings of family and friends. We jumped a broom, fed each other cake,
entangled ourselves legally by becoming registered domestic partners, and
hoped for the best.
In May of 2003, fifteen year-old Sakia Gunn was stabbed to death for
saying she was a lesbian. That August, teacher Shani Baraka and her lover
Rayshon Holmes were murdered. Shani’s father, poet Amiri Baraka, wondered
whether homophobia was a motive for the murders.
September 8th was the first day of school in 2003. Around 8:30 a.m., my
elementary students shyly held their parents’ hands in the schoolyard, and
800 children with their shiny hair, pressed uniforms, and specially-chosen
backpacks milled about looking for their new classes. Meanwhile, students at
the lgbt-positive Harvey Milk High School
had to navigate supporters, protesters, and police in order to start their
first day of school.
Back to Top
|
|
In March of 2004, my wife forwarded me an email which said that
submissions were being accepted for a book about gay teachers. It took a
blend of speed-writing and torturous, nail-biting revision to figure out
that I couldn’t wax poetic on this topic. I could only describe how I was
feeling at that moment, and tell what had happened at school. In the wee
hours, after mercilessly cleaving parts out of the draft and changing names
to protect confidentiality, I emailed the essay to Kevin Jennings. Activist
Kevin Jennings is the founder of GLSEN (Gay,
Lesbian, & Straight Education Network). He edited the original
One Teacher in 10 (1994), has written other books, and has done
tremendous work to make the U.S. a safer place for lgbt youth.
Back to Top
|
|
The day after I sent the email, I was stunned when I got an email from Kevin saying that he
liked my essay. A few weeks ago (April 2005), the book hit the shelves. Here is
my essay entitled Ms. Kee Has a Wife! Enjoy!
The essay above appears with about 39 really inspiring selections in
One
Teacher in 10: LGBT Educators Share Their Stories, 2nd Ed, published by
Alyson Publications in April of 2005.
Back to Top
|