Well Decorated, but Still a Closet: Respectability Politics and Staff Members of LGBTQ Centers

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: LGBTQ Students and Higher Education Politics and Policy

Abstract

Tempering one’s identity to fit in with workplace cultures is not a novel concept (McDonald, 2015). Higher education administrators who work in gender and sexuality centers are asked to leverage their queer and transgender identities to connect with the students they serve. The goal is to facilitate a sense of self-acceptance in students related to their gender and/or sexuality. This narrative analysis will explore possible tensions for LGBTQ people who are charged with facilitating identity exploration and equity for queer students and employees on college campuses. The purpose of this study is to understand and critically analyze how these employees may experience potential dissonance between tempering their own queer identities while encouraging students to accept and celebrate their queerness.

Author

• Candace Lamb, The University of Texas at Austin