Jane Traies came to visit us on Tuesday 10th of January to talk about her own journey through LGBTQ+ History and she titled her talk ‘A Lesbian Life’.
After a long career as a teacher and head teacher in state schools, Jane worked as a consultant, leadership coach and diversities trainer before becoming a full-time student in 2008. She gained her MPhil at the University of Birmingham in 2009 and her PhD in Gender Studies at Sussex in 2014.
Jane was open and honest about how she was in the closet as a teacher until her retirement party and we giggled at how she was the talk of the town the day after! Jane shared her story through the decades and the floor was opened up to questions from the staff and pupils. It was a brilliant hour of conversation and we are very grateful to Jane for coming in and being so open and honest without community.
“ I guess the takeaway from it was simply how we have progressed in education since Section 28 and that we are now able to have staff LGBTQ+ role models for our pupils without it being against the law. ” Jami Edwards-Clarke
We look forward to seeing Jane back at Hurst for Alternative Chapel.
