am thrilled to be a Program and Education intern here this summer.
I just finished my sophomore year at Duke University as a double
major in Dance and English and I am passionate about the issue of
family equality. I’m thrilled to be able to work with the Family
Equality Council this summer.
I became interested in the issue of LGBTQ rights at a fairly young
age. My sister’s best friend, who lives up the street and has
been like a big sister to me all my life, came out when I was about
ten. While I didn’t totally understand the implications of her
coming out until later (or the implications of her parents telling
her it was “just a phase,” or people she used to babysit for no
longer calling her), I knew Katy.
While I remember being surprised, I knew on a gut level that she
was the same Katy who had been my mother, schoolteacher or rescuer
in countless games of make-believe, the same Katy who always came
over when I was sick, just to check in and the same Katy who played
with me even when my sister wanted to have “grown-up kid”
time.
She was also the same Katy who had started collecting baby clothes
for her future child at about age 13. It eventually occurred to me
that she might not have the opportunity to be the amazing mother I
knew she could be, which struck me as expressly unfair.
As I got older and started to hear “that’s so gay” and
similar comments resonating through my middle school hallways, I
became increasingly committed to LGBTQ equality. I was lucky enough
to go to a progressive high school where overt homophobia was never
present, but I still saw undertones of it everywhere in our
society.
I believe passionately that LGBTQ rights are essential civil rights
and I am so excited to have the opportunity to put that passion
into action working with all of the amazing people here at the
Family Equality Council.
I also look forward to meeting many of you at Family Week!