Outed!

I think I was outed today. I'm not sure.

I asked my teaching assistant to take down the LGBT History month display today. My students were disappointed. My aide was trying to be careful and I told her it wasn't necessary that next year there would be new people to display as new role models were voted on by the members of Equality Forum. And that nominations were being accepted now.

My students heard this, and one of them asked if they could vote on the nominees. I told them I wasn't sure if they could as I believed they had to be members of the committee. Another asked how they could become members, and again I said I wasn't sure how they could become members, but I think they had to be at least older than eleven or twelve.

The first student then asked if they could nominate me as a role model. (Awwww!) I explained that the role model was selected on the impact his/her life or work had done for the betterment of the LGBT community, but I was deeply touched by their consideration.

(I should interject here that the class is composed of 32 11- and 12- year olds. Seventeen of them were my students last year and I did officially come out to them. And one student from last year actually asked me if I was going to tell the others this year that I was gay.)

The times, they are indeed a-changin'. Would this have been possible in elementary school 10 or even 5 years ago?