I might have not been hired because I am gay

[dsc]

I decided to put my resume out because I got more than a little stressed out teaching at my current school and also wanted to move to a school more likely to have a gay friendly faculty. I got several calls and went out on two interviews on the same day. At the first school I was kept waiting due to my being a little early and wires being crossed as to which day I was being interviewed on. I saw an issue of the school paper and decided to read it. One of the articles was about the fact this school was the only one in its district not to have a gay straight alliance. When I was given a chance to ask questions in the interview I asked about that article and what if any truth was in it.

Now I have been interviewed by six schools since moving here and got four job offers, including the second school I interviewed at that day, and one call back which I had to decline as I took the other job, and the school I am referring to above, was my one non offer. Coincidence? Maybe. Frankly I would have turned them down anyway. But it really does make me wonder. It has been a long time since I have lost a job for that reason.

The thing is I will never know. Multiply this by several fold and who knows how many unknowable acts of discrimination are out there. It used to be we well knew. Now, it is more subtle.

[TaleWgnDg]

1. There is no federal anti-discrimination protection for gays in

employment, except when Clinton was in office but that only covered federal employees or those doing contractual work for the federal government, I believe.

However, if your state has gay anti-discrimination protection in employment then seek out the appropriate state agency and file a complaint if you have the basis for such a complaint.

Here in Massachusetts, we have express language in our state laws that employers cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in employment. Our state law extends sexual orientation protection in several other areas of law as well as employment as do some other states.

Good luck in your job search!



.

[dsc]

2. none here either

plus I honestly don't know. They just might have gone with someone else. It seems suspicious to me but that is all I have. Even if they had literally said it was for that I likely wouldn't bother since I vastly prefer the school that did give me the job. All I would be able to win would be the right to work at a school that I would rather not work at anyway.

[tandot]

3. I don't know if that may depend on the State you live in

As a teacher, you should be there for ALL students. Hiring a gay teacher means you hire someone with experience in dealing with controversy, diversity, and obstacles. You have an understanding for students who have to fight more than "regular" students have to be accepted, respected, and to succeed.

My sister is a social worker in Oklahoma dealing with "mentally challenged" and physically disabled children. Besides that, she is raising her own grand-children age 5 and 7 (both of them are black) with her female partner (my sister and her are white). These children went through hell and have been abused physically and sexually. My sister and her partner have to deal with a racist, anti-gay, and ignorant community. But they are fighting the odds and have met quite a few other social workers who are quite supportive of them. And my nieces are doing so much better now.

People like my sister and you are my heroes.

[dsc]

4. thanks though I am a piker in comparision to her

I live in NC which is much better than OK as far as I can tell. NC is hardly nirvana but my new school I think will be pretty good. I am unlikely to be out to my students but I think I can be out to my faculty. I really am impressed with your sister being a social worker has got to be so hard. Raising grandkids is no barrel of laughs either. You just get rid of your kids and think you have some freedom and then bang. My parents had that with my nephew and neices for a few years. They loved the kids but the work. God bless your sister and her partner.

[tandot]

5. My sister's partner was kinda thrown into the whole situation

but she stuck to with my sis and the grand-kids. Not a lot of people would have done that.

I have the utmost respect for them. I don't think I would have been able to do that. I don't think I would have been too happy if my boyfriend would have told me he has two grand-kids who we have to raise now. I always considered my sister to be the "stronger" one.

I went through life without a lot of hardship (besides the 2 divorces). I've met a lot of people talking to me about those "gay folks" without knowing that my sister is gay. It hurt me a lot and I can only imagine how much it hurts to have to deal with those morons on a daily basis. I live in Northern California now and it is somewhat better. I wish my sister and her partner would move here.

If you are gay, you had so much more to deal with as I did. So, to all the people who had to deal with some of those ignorant, bigoted asshole: I admire you!!!

[dsc]

6. You should ask your sister if her partner has a sibling for you

in all seriousness, thank you so much. It can be difficult though it is getting better. I never cease to be amazed at what high school is becoming like for many gay youth. I would have sooner eaten ground glass than try to be openly gay at my high school but now I see kids doing it almost routinely. The school I am leaving was close to the worst I saw lately but even it had a couple. Whenever I get too depressed with world events for us, I look to the youth and see a likely hood of change.

[tandot]

8. If you get enough courageous people to stand up for their rights

and also have their families show support, those few bigoted right-wing assholes will go away sooner or later. Every family has someone who is gay. The world will change sooner or later... I think sooner....

The change you've seen is really positive. When my nephew went to high-school (my brother-in-law was black), his Okie high-school teacher said some really nasty things right to his face. This was in the late 80ies/early 90ies. The bigotry gay kids have to face is the same. It will get better...even in the "Bible-Belt"

Thank YOU for standing up and fighting :)

[dsc]

10. thanks

it is getting better. I never thought in the land of Jesse Helms there would be a possiblity of working in a school district which values LGBT, go to a church which values LGBT, and find a community. It really is eye opening.

[MADem]

7. Hey, it's always something. Gay, too old, female,not-the-right-race, who

knows? What, you want HEALTH BENEFITS??? Screw YOU!!!!!

The smart ones doing the hiring and getting around this discrimination will find an expertise that YOU lack, and that the successful candidate has...even if it's underwater basket weaving.

[dsc]

9. I could be totally off base

I have no idea. I wasn't even contacted again after the interview so I pretty much didn't get a reason. Since I preferred the other school by a wide margin (to the point that I would have stayed put before taking this school's offer) I haven't even bothered to find out.

[MADem]

11. Generally speaking, if you have a FEELING that someone is

pulling that shit, well, unless you are an insufferable, hypersensitive, easily piqued pain in the ass in your daily life (and you likely are not that), they probably ARE doing it.

The proving of the assertion is tricky, though. You could always be a noodge and call them to inquire if they are going to notify people who applied when a successful candidate for the position is chosen. That really is the nice thing for them to do, after all!

[dsc]

12. I did get four offers and a call back out of six interviews

so I can't be too bad. It would have been nice to let me know but since I have no real interest in the job I am not going to bother calling them.

[MADem]

13. Well, to hell with them, then--that beats a load of odds!!!!! NT

[dsc]

14. I honestly am not too torn up

As I said above I vastly prefer the school I am going to work for to that one. The real irony is that is one of the few districts in NC which supposedly is gay friendly. The odds can be explained by the fact that I am a math teacher in a state which needs them badly. I also developed a bit of a niche by teaching a brand new course. I also am fairly good at my job which helps.