“Please call me Marin. I teach statistics.”
“Nice to meet you, Marin.” Audrey extended her hand, and Marin shook it. “Are you new here this semester?”
She nodded. “New to teaching, actually.”
“It’s only my second year teaching too,” Audrey said with enthusiasm. “Isn’t it great? I hope you’re loving it, and I’m glad you’re here with the Pride Coalition. We’ve been short a faculty sponsor this year, and with the political climate being what it is, I was afraid the university might start trying to shut down the club.”
“Really?” Marin frowned. “That would be terrible.”
“You’re telling me,” Audrey agreed. “My fiancée kept it going while she was here, but she retired from teaching last year. We’ve been short a faculty sponsor ever since.”
She.Marin’s brain snagged on that word. Audrey’s fiancée was a woman, and that made Marin irrationally pleased. “Well, I’ve only got two classes this semester, and I’d love to get more involved here, so just let me know how I can help.”
“I’m really glad to hear that,” Audrey said. “The students pretty much run things themselves, but the faculty sponsors help plan events and fundraisers. I also try to be available as a mentor, because while a lot of these kids are super comfortable with their identities, some aren’t. Some of them really need an adult in their life they can trust.”
Marin swallowed, humbled by the responsibility that entailed. “I wish I’d been comfortable with my sexuality at their age, but I hope I can help them have a better experience than I did.” And she’d just come out for the second time, in a roundabout way. Her cheeks felt uncomfortably warm.
“Sounds like you’re here for exactly the right reason, then,” Audrey said approvingly. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to the group.”
Marin followed her to the front of the room.
“Hi, everyone,” Audrey said. “Before we get started, I want to introduce you to our new faculty sponsor, Professor Easterly. She’s new here, so let’s help her feel welcome, okay?”
“New to Vermont too,” Marin added. “And very glad to be here.”
“Welcome, Professor Easterly,” someone called out.
She exchanged greetings with the students before they got down to business, which today consisted of early planning for the Valentine’s Day party. They were also organizing a fundraiser for a local LGBTQ center. Marin was pleased with how comfortable she felt in the group, and it only increased her yearning to further immerse herself in queer communities.
For now, though, it warmed her heart to see these kids having such a good time in a safe space. Well, most of them were having a good time. She noticed one student lingering at the rear of the group, listening and not contributing to the conversation. That was fine. Marin had been more of an observer than a participant in school herself, but this student’s body language seemed anxious and uncomfortable.
“Before we go, I just wanted to remind you all that my office hours are posted in the portal, and my phone number is included there too,” Audrey said. “You’re welcome to contact me for any reason, even if you just want to chat. I’m always here for you, okay?”
“That goes for me too,” Marin added. “I’m ... I’m not only new to Vermont and to teaching, I’m also new to being out, so if any of you are going through that, too, I might be a good ear. Happy to try at least.” She gave a nervous laugh, her stomach churning from coming out to a room of people.
She saw several appreciative smiles from the students. The meeting started to break up soon after, although a few people lingered, chatting with friends. Marin caught the eye of the quiet student in back and made her way over to say hello.
“Professor Easterly, right?” the student said, her expression hesitant. “I’m Brianna.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Brianna. Is this your first year at NU?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m a freshman. Um ... I’ve got to run, but it was nice to meet you.”
“See you here next week?” Marin asked in what she hoped was an encouraging tone.
Brianna nodded, then waved before she headed for the door.
As other students started to leave the room, a bubbly young woman with curly brown hair approached Marin. “Hi, Professor Easterly. I’m Gia, student president of the Pride Coalition. Just wanted to say welcome. We’re glad to have you join us.”
“Thanks, Gia. I’m very glad to be here.” Marin felt warm all the way to her toes. The room emptied fairly quickly from there, and soon she and Audrey were exiting the classroom together. Audrey locked the door behind them.
“So where did you move from?” Audrey asked.
“Manhattan.”
“Oh wow. Big change. Have you always lived in the city?”
“Yes,” Marin said with a chuckle. “It was time—past time—for some big changes in my life.”
