Rainbow Lives Matter

In 1993 I was fired from my job for being a lesbian. I hadn’t thought about the experience for many years. This week’s US Supreme Court judgement brought it all back. I was surprised by the emotional response the ruling triggered.

One of the plaintiffs of the case before the Supreme Court was Gerald Bostock who was fired after joining a gay softball team. ‘We don’t want people like you working here’ what people, softball players?

Memories flooded back of my own personal experience of loosing my job in 1993 and the shock and helplessness I felt. I was hired as staff development coordinator for Austin Community College. I was so excited. The school was doing great things for the community and I got to schedule and influence the training of newly hired teachers.

My boss at the time had a habit that made me feel very uncomfortable. She was going through a messy divorce. Every morning, coffee in hand, she would park herself at my desk and relay all the gory details, whether I wanted to hear them or not.

My friend Charles who also worked at ACC wrote this article in the now defunct Texas Triangle. I have kept it all these years. Although I was within my six month probationary period, and this week’s ruling would not have helped, federal law will go a long way towards making employers think twice. And hopefully prevent others from going through what I did. Rainbow lives do matter.

DOS TORTAS