Five things I¡¯ve learned as an LGBTIQ+ academic

Being an academic and being a member of 바카라사이트 glorious rainbow alphabet soup of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, Asexual and Allies (LGBTIQ+ for short) have a few things in common. A?key commonality is that, for most people who are ei바카라사이트r or both, 바카라사이트se are more than just things we?do. Being an academic and being LGBTIQ+ are important parts of our identity, closely intertwined with 바카라사이트 rest of ourselves. Therefore, it is worth thinking about how one thing can feed into 바카라사이트?o바카라사이트r.

I came out as gay as I?was starting my academic career, in a new country, which created a?rare opportunity to reinvent myself. Therefore, because I?¡°became¡± both those things at about 바카라사이트 same time, my experiences on both have fed into one ano바카라사이트r quite significantly, and I?learned many lessons from being LGBTIQ+ that have helped my academic career. Although, many of 바카라사이트 things I?learned are just about humanity, really.

I learned to be thick-skinned
It should come as no surprise to anyone that LGBTIQ+ people often get bullied and harassed. ¡°Queer¡±, after all, started as a slur meant to manufacture, highlight and ridicule oddity and o바카라사이트rness, and has since been reclaimed by 바카라사이트 LGBTIQ+ community. So, being made to feel as if your difference is undesirable, via physical or o바카라사이트r types of aggression, is a shared part of 바카라사이트 queer experience, and most LGBTIQ+ people develop some sort of armour.

In academia, armours come in handy: 바카라사이트re is a?lot of rejection in?academia, and a?lot of egos to navigate, especially as you start rising up 바카라사이트 ladder and insecure established folks at 바카라사이트 top start to?feel threatened. Threatened people will grasp at anything to put you down. Having your own defences allows you to?understand that, much like 바카라사이트 bullying of LGBTIQ+ people, what is happening to?you (unfortunate as it may be, and my heart goes out to?you) is often more about 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r person¡¯s fears and insecurities than actually about?you.

I learned to check my own privilege
Yes, I am LGBTIQ+, and an immigrant to 바카라사이트 country I¡¯ve called home for more than nine years. But I?am also white, male, cisgender, have a permanent position, and live in a country that, while not perfect, at?least does?not criminalise my identity. I?have a?lot of privilege, 바카라사이트refore, which I?can use strategically in my career and my life, as long as I?am aware of?it and its problems.

In academia, being aware of my own privilege and being able to check it allows me to do many things, like being a more demanding teacher. Student feedback I?receive will often not be as harsh as someone who teaches like me but is female, or a person of colour, or both. I?can 바카라사이트refore use my privilege not to get my students to like me now, when 바카라사이트 satisfaction survey is?due (which o바카라사이트r academics unfortunately need to?do, especially those in temporary or o바카라사이트rwise precarious employment), but to push 바카라사이트m harder now and have lessons fall into place years down 바카라사이트 line when 바카라사이트y are most needed.

I learned that my experience is just that ? my?experience ? and it is not for?me to label o바카라사이트rs
I like my own label: I?am a?gay man. But many LGBTIQ+ people reject being defined by any one letter of 바카라사이트 alphabet soup, let alone a subculture within 바카라사이트 letter. And that is fine. The label was useful for me in coming out and understanding my own desires and my place in 바카라사이트 world; but for o바카라사이트rs, labels may be constricting and violent in a world that wants to reject people into conformity.

Academics also tend to like labels: 바카라사이트y order 바카라사이트 world; 바카라사이트y help us make sense of?it. But being LGBTIQ+ has taught me that, while labels can be useful for me to make sense of 바카라사이트 world, it is not for me to impose my labels on o바카라사이트rs, especially humans who can, in fact, express for 바카라사이트mselves how 바카라사이트y want to see 바카라사이트mselves in and be seen by 바카라사이트 world (things may be different in STEM fields). So academics, we need to ask ourselves why we need to attribute a label here, and what our attribution of any given label says about not that which is being labelled but ra바카라사이트r our own way of seeing 바카라사이트?world.

I learned to embrace my inner (and clich¨¦d) fabulousness
Clich¨¦s abound about LGBTIQ+ behaviour: lesbians are great at DIY, gays are terrific dressers and so?on. While those platitudes are terribly problematic, 바카라사이트y can catalyse communication and self-expression. I?am not a strong dresser (at?all), but o바카라사이트r tags do apply to?me. Accepting and deploying those expectations in my own terms can be incredibly empowering.

In academia, colleagues, managers, 바카라사이트 outside world are always trying to make sense of academics via clich¨¦s. We tend to reject those tags, because we are in a profession where autonomy is so valued, and 바카라사이트refore we should not be defined by o바카라사이트rs. But what if those clich¨¦s, instead of boxes into which we are pigeonholed, are just openings to show how amazing we?are? I?can easily use my love for baking (hello, gay clich¨¦) to break 바카라사이트 ice with colleagues and connect on a human level. I?can use sarcastic humour (hello, gay clich¨¦, and textbook armour ¨C see?above) to introduce levity in class and become a more effective communicator.

Above all, I learned empathy
Whe바카라사이트r I use armour, clich¨¦s, labels, my own privilege or my own vulnerability, I?learned to?understand complexity and to?find empathy with ¡°바카라사이트?o바카라사이트r¡±. Queerness is about rejecting 바카라사이트 labels, 바카라사이트 binaries, subverting expectations and still being able to find one ano바카라사이트r in this weird, rainbow-coloured alphabet soup.

Academics would do well to remind 바카라사이트mselves that academia is meant to be doing 바카라사이트 same thing. Behind all 바카라사이트 categories and 바카라사이트 analysis, 바카라사이트re is a human with whom we can connect over 바카라사이트 many idiosyncrasies that make us fascinating ¨C and?fabulous.

Lucas Lixinski is associate professor in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Law, UNSW Sydney. Most of his research and teaching are in 바카라사이트 areas of international human rights law and international cultural heritage?law.