The reality of the post-college world strikes many an unsuspecting fourth year.
But as their peers apply for employment, fourth-year gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students who are entering the workforce must also cope with impending issues of acceptance in life outside the University -- a transition many find difficult.
"I think that the issues that anyone would face in that situation [of transition] are more prevalent for LGBT students," said Joy Pugh, program coordinator of the University's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center. "It's just one more thing they need to think of for their work environment."
While many students strive for prominent positions in jobs with high pay and great benefits, LGBT students must also take into account how friendly a company's policies are towards homosexuals and alternative lifestyles, what a company terms as discrimination as well as if they offer partner benefits.
Numerous groups around Grounds offer outlets and resources for students approaching graduation. The Queer Student Union, for example, dedicates one of its weekly meetings each year to the transition process. According to QSU President Kevin Wu, the group co-sponsors the program with the University Career Resource Center. This year the meeting focused on the difficult decision of whether or not a person should reveal sexual orientation on his or her résumé.
"I've thought about it and I've decided to include my involvement on my résumé," Wu said. "I wouldn't want to work at a place where being out would hurt me -- it may hurt my chances, but will secure me working at a place that is queer friendly."
Many students find accessible resources to help them publicly reveal their sexual orientation at the University. For those who have yet to acknowledge their sexual orientation, they may be faced with the issue of coming out in the workplace, said Justin Wienckowski, executive director of VAOut, a nonprofit organization that provides support, networking and other services to LGBT student groups in Virginia.
"I've never experienced any formal discrimination, but the world is still focused on straight people," Wienckowski said. "All my coworkers assume I'm straight, when they ask about my private life they ask about my girlfriend or if I have one. The casual bias people use towards heterosexually makes it harder to come out and harder to distinguish if people are not accepting or just not thinking about it."
Although the transition seems daunting, there are still a number of organizations that assist LGBT students in adult life, Pugh said. One of these groups is The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a national organization in support of LGBT rights. The Foundation has created what it calls the "Equality Index," an annual investigation of the aforementioned issues within large corporations. Each year, large national businesses are measured on a scale of zero to 100 on seven factors concerning the fair treatment of LGBT employees. The Foundation then ranks the corporations and publishes its findings.
The Serpentine Society, the LGBT alumni group on Grounds, also aims to offer resources to graduates in the near future.
"Connecting students with different alumni in job markets in pursuing jobs is something we talked about," said Rod Davis, who serves on the Serpentine Society's board and graduated from the University in 1983. Davis said the group hopes to bring alumni back in a panel-like format to give students a look at the "different pros and cons and different choices, as well as the opportunity to ask questions and let them know what it's going to be like from someone who's there and been through it."
Students who may be questioning their gender identity may face even larger obstacles than those met by gay and lesbian students.
"I think that transgender people face even more challenges than gays and lesbians," said Helen McComas, another Serpentine Society board member and 1969 University graduate. "If you transitioned in college, your college record is in two genders and kind of [easier] to explain. If you transition after college while in work, then you face the problem of finding work in the new gender, and that is one of the most troublesome parts of the whole long process of gender transition -- continuing to work, finding an income and keeping an income during transition."
McComas says she was "lucky" and that her employer, Knight Ridder, a newspaper chain in Washington D.C., was very accepting of her transition, which took place after she graduated and while she was employed by the company.
Davis seems to offer a similar outlook, adding that even though he wasn't looking for a gay-friendly company, his employer, the Better Business Bureau, was also "extremely supportive."
How current students will fare in the marketplace remains to be seen.
"I think there will be a bit of a shock initially because obviously the workplace is not going to be as open as the University is," Wu said. "But with that in mind, I will prepare myself for what is to come."
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 3 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 5 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
