8 Educator Stories Shine at Proud Educator Story Night

On the evening of June 5th, eight Proud Educators took the “stage” in a backyard garden of BierWax in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. In an event that was organized by the Proud Teacher Initiative, these educators bravely told stories of their experiences as LGBTQ+ educators in school communities, and how their identity has intersected with their experiences. As the sunlight began to dip beneath the rooftops and the MC introduced our first storyteller, our beautiful garden setting was standing room only (with over 70 attendees).

The stories shared on this evening could be described by many an adjective- moving, hilarious, difficult, surprising, reflective, unique, unfinished, raw… the list could go on an on. But what these stories all certainly had in common was their authenticity to each educator. These educators are modeling one of the central tenets of the Proud Teacher Initiative, which is the belief that all educators should have the freedom and support to bring their full and authentic selves to their school communities. By amplifying their stories, we believe that we will change the dialogue for all LGBTQ+ educators.

Due to the overwhelming success of the event, we are already planning to host another Proud Educator Story Night on October 10th, 2019. Please see our Upcoming Events page for more details and to RSVP. If you’re interested in telling a story at one of our events, please email proudteacherstories@gmail.com.