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Post by Queer and Looking on Apr 13, 2011 10:18:04 GMT -5
So I am a queer who just successfully managed to land academic jobs I love in the last 3 years. Technically, 2. The first was a visiting position at a slac and the second was a tenure tract position at a public university. I am starting this thread, because I remember being quite concerned about issues related to my sexuality (especially about both being out and doing gay-related research) while I was on the job market and not feeling I had too many places to look. Also, this is the issue that most queer people on the market talk to me about when we mingle at conferences...so I know there is interest. Just though I would get it started.
Also, I have been on one and half search committees, and heard some great insights from fellow academics (whom I trust) who have set on search committees...so I may have a little to offer there but mostly, I wanted to just create a space for this discussion.
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Post by SearchFac on Apr 13, 2011 15:59:41 GMT -5
I'm glad to hear of your success. There's probably no more tolerant, liberal workplace than a college campus, speaking in general. The recruitment process typically discourages candidates from disclosing their personal lives and intimate relationships. For their part, search committees are not supposed to ask or evaluate candidates based upon intimate life style and relationship status. There's a dilemma though when a person believes their personal life is essential public knowledge as a social identity.
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Post by paddywhack on Apr 13, 2011 16:49:23 GMT -5
I have heard professors discuss the issue related to selling points. Like if we knew, we could address their concerns, show them a community, community resources, and various pros to being here such as the way they would if they know you have children (and would want to know about area schools, day care, etc). Personally, to know it is a gay-friendly department would be a huge incentive in accepting an offer.
I have also wondered about the effects on the presentation of the candidate regarding how comfortable, confident, or open they seem in the setting--giving their talk, at dinner, etc. Potentially if you are concerned about being out and do not feel free to be open, this could effect whether you are perceived as a confident and knowing scholar. However, I think the typical on sight interview does its best to make sure everyone feels overwhelmed and anxious.
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Post by Mixed reactions on Apr 13, 2011 17:57:42 GMT -5
Soc departments have their issues with inequality just like the rest of the world. This year I went on several on campus interviews and in a discussion with an out senior professor of a department strong in its gender and sexuality studies area, it was revealed to me that being out held this person back. The professor also shared that when out candidates visited, problematic things were said by search faculty. I was very surprised.
That was just one case and I went on another visit where many of the out faculty felt quite supported and comfortable. Sometimes, you just never know.
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Post by main on Apr 13, 2011 20:48:58 GMT -5
Less overt than the above, but I was once on a search committee and one of the other members was a big booster of a candidate before and during the interview. however, near the end it came up that the candidate had once taught a course on glbt studies. the booster's disappointment was obvious just by body language (fallen face and entire body slumping in chair). it was a bit embarrassing. i think that this person had maybe been 'crushing' on the candidate. when it came time to decide the hire, the booster was conspicuously silent, amounting to a withdrawal of support, which affected the outcome.
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Post by laughthroughit on Apr 14, 2011 7:47:11 GMT -5
Just for background, I'm speaking from being on a SC (where we ended up hiring someone who is queer but doesn't do queer scholarship) and being on the market this year myself (I'm queer and I do queer scholarship) with my comments...
If you interview somewhere with graduate students, try asking one of them (who has outed themselves and/or has spoken up about doing queer research) about whether a dept/institution/area is LGBTQ friendly. One candidate my dept hired pulled me aside during a break before their next meeting and asked me about the climate for LGBTQ people in the dept/institution/area. Apparently, no one had made it clear that we are a very progressive dept and campus with a small, but thriving, social scene in the area. Because I knew that we really wanted this person to take the job if we offered it, I informed my dept chair (who's also queer) of the candidate's concerns in a very general and professional way and asked him to personally give the candidate some more information about LGBTQ stuff on campus and in the community. We made the offer and the candidate accepted.
Personally, I strategically out myself in cover letters for certain positions. I know, some of you are appalled or think that's wrong, and that's okay - I'm just telling you what I've done. I out myself in a way that is unclear about whether I'm talking about myself, my research, my teaching, or my service - it could be read a number of ways, depending on who is doing the reading. I don't do this for every job, but sometimes I know something about the department or the institution such that it might make sense for me to do so. The job I got was one where I outed myself in the cover letter. During the phone interview, the chair went out of their way three times to make it clear that the dept was queer friendly and that I would be supported both in terms of my research and in teaching queer topics in any class. I was actually asked to include queer stuff in my teaching demo, even though the position was for teaching required courses in the major, not for any kind of interdisciplinary queer specific work/teaching. People used the right pronouns for me during my campus visit. They created an interview process and visit that had me going to the airport knowing that I'd accept the offer if I got one because they made me comfortable and feel valued for the diversity I'd bring to the dept - and not in a creepy or tokenizing way. I'm not sure if things would have been different if I didn't out myself in my cover letter (I didn't have an interview anywhere else), and I'm not sure if outing myself in other letters made it so people didn't want to interview me, but that's what happened with me on the market this year.
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Post by Paddywhack on Apr 14, 2011 11:45:18 GMT -5
Three points I want to speak to:
First, I struggled with my decision to do gay related research (while also being gay). For the first 2 years, I actively worked to not be associated with gay research as an out visibly queer student. However, in the end (and with the help of supportive mentors) I realized that I wanted to do research I was passionate about. In my academic life, I tend to be surrounded by heterosexuals and so it is really great to know that I was just a total worry wort. Academically, I know these are real issues, but experience-wise, some of the above comments are making me feel a little more validated so thank you.
Secondly, I am not sure about the strategic aspect of being out, but my personal perspective my first year on the market (since I wasnt desperate just yet) was to be open from the front with the idea that I didnt want to go somewhere if it was going to be problem with them--I did not want to waste my time and energy (while I was working on my dissertation) to stop what I was doing to go to a campus that was hostile. I am sure this was quite naive, but it actually led to a surprising outcome. I got a good amount of interest from schools one would not expect to have interests (in the south or in rural areas) and largely from schools that were advertising open/methodological positions. I really thought I would have more of a chance in the more "liberal" areas. So, now I feel like you just never know. There are schools and people out there that I would have never guessed to be homophobic and then am very surprised to hear stories...like those above...so...
Also, I totally feel for that one example involving the crush. I really would have lost all my respect for that colleague.
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Post by queerlyokay on Apr 14, 2011 16:11:13 GMT -5
I've had mixed feelings about being on the market and queer. I've done small things, such as changing my hair, to look less queer. Sadly, awesome queer hair isn't respected like it should be!
My research and teaching is in the area of sexualities but touches on both sides of the fence. Some materials are very queer and I worry about these ones. However, some are hetero critical and I worry about those too. I saw some internal memo from a hiring committee at one point (a friend worked there) that questioned if I would fit because my dissertation work was "normal" (aka heterosexuality) and not "gay enough." Who knows what SCs want sometimes!!!
It's frustrating. I don't know what to do. To top things off, my relationships are also non-normative so I worry about how I might to manage those with requests for "spousal hires" and the like. A friend who is engaged told me that engagement=marriage but that nonmarital relationships were often not viewed as "good enough" for a SH to be considered.
It's good to see other queers on the board. Go us! I hope we can find some good support here and share.
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Post by Queer and Looking on Apr 15, 2011 12:45:12 GMT -5
My first on sight interview I followed my elder queers advice about "femming" up, and not being so queer, not talking about my gay personal life, etc. Because of inside knowledge I know why I didnt get that job and it was not related to homophobia. They hired the person they thought was the strongest regarding publications in the area they were looking in. However, while on my interview I did get a strong sense of a split in the department and I do feel that the senior faculty who taught the gender and family courses were a little concerned about if I would want to teach their courses.
I got my first job via a phone interview and before I accepted I came out and noted my visibility and that I tended to dress more masculine and did use some of my own life experiences in my courses. They didnt seem to care. Turns out I went to a very straight place but it was extremely gay friendly and there were gays in the higher admin. Something, I have since learned, really helps me to feel safe.
Once there, I still tooled around on the job market (since it was a visiting position) and at that time only applied for jobs that were a perfect fit to my areas. I had a much higher rate of phone/email calls and then offers for interviews with that strategy--also saved me money on stamps and cost of materials. I was then short listed on 3-4 schools...and got an invited to visit 2 of them during spring break (and a third one once I had accepted my offer). I went on the first interview knowing I still had my visiting position for the next year. I did my best and went with the approach that I would just be "me". On the last day of my interview I did come out to the department head and asked about the climate, noted my concerns, etc. That conversation is what turned me more on to the school. I got my offer the next day, and canceled the second school's interview. I didnt know yet if I would accept the offer but I did know I liked the first school compared to the second school (based on location and chances of my partner getting a job) and it really became more about whether I would take the offer or stay at the visiting position.
Later, I was told by my department that they really appreciated my openness and honesty. In fact, I believed they called it "refreshing." I also ran into the search chair of the second school at a conference and he noted that they were really impressed with my approach and that I didnt waste their time and resources. So...I feel pretty lucky and good about my approach. However, I do know its a game and I was also really lucky.
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Post by anon on Apr 15, 2011 22:08:19 GMT -5
Sadly, awesome queer hair isn't respected like it should be! not sure what makes for "awesome queer hair", but mullets (be they on a dude in a 1983 Camaro or a middle-aged lesbian) are never respectable ;D Of course neither are hetero comb-overs
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Post by drcompton on Apr 16, 2011 12:12:59 GMT -5
Most summers I try to grow a mullet, but end up cutting it for ASA...apparently it cant be done in just a couple months.
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Post by queerlyokay on Apr 18, 2011 8:46:20 GMT -5
Oh, dear no, mullets I think are more hipster these days. Although I have teased my partner about having one at times. Queer and looking, I'm happy to read about your good experience. It gives me some hope if I'm on the market again in the fall. I had an interview at one campus -- and totally wanted this job -- and I thought they had me figured out (talked a lot about how accepting the campus is, gay students, etc). Once I visited I didn't see some of the "liberal" stuff they said the campus had but interviews are short. In the end it didn't matter because I didn't receive an offer. I have one more interview for this spring in a couple weeks (nonacademic) that I'm really excited about. The company and location are awesome in terms of inclusion (clearly state on their site they don't discriminate against the main points but include orientation, gender identity, and disability - win win win for me!). I plan to cut my hair in an awesome queer way and rock my interview
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Post by haiiiiiiir on Apr 18, 2011 12:30:16 GMT -5
not sure what makes for "awesome queer hair", but mullets (be they on a dude in a 1983 Camaro or a middle-aged lesbian) are never respectable ;D I'm staking my money on faux-hawk or pageboy.
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Post by anon on Apr 18, 2011 14:22:50 GMT -5
not sure what makes for "awesome queer hair", but mullets (be they on a dude in a 1983 Camaro or a middle-aged lesbian) are never respectable ;D I'm staking my money on faux-hawk or pageboy. Faux-hawks were never cool (especially since they were popularized by Angelina Jolie's toddler). It's strictly a poser do.
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Post by queerlyokay on Apr 19, 2011 16:14:54 GMT -5
Pageboys? What? I've never thought of those as queer cuts. Now, Justin Beiber hair is another story. I think there is a website or two (or three) dedicated to his hair vs. lesbian hair. Maybe I should aim for one of those. I would have some growing to do.
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