Today I'm sharing with you an experience I had earlier this week when I went back to my hometown in rural Wisconsin to speak at the school board meeting where they were holding a public hearing to determine if they were going to "allow" the creation of a GSA - which they called the Pride/Ally Club!

In the episode I'm going to share with you my thought process in deciding to go back and speak, the emotional roller coaster that is being fully authentic in a place where I learned to protect myself at all costs, and the power of a collective effort to advocate for what is right in a community where I never thought I'd see a day that I'd stand up, at a microphone, and share my true self.

Watch the recording of the meeting here: https://youtu.be/C5Q7tSg39ZQ

Notable timestamps:
3:40 - Opening the Public Hearing re: club creation

5:30 - Proposed club advisor shares a student-created presentation re: Pride/Ally Club

13:00 - Floor is opened for public comment (Warning: many of the public comments cite religious texts, weaponize the bible, and include inflammatory statements. There are also several references to suicide throughout. Please take care of yourself.)

31:30 - I speak. There are SEVERAL folks who spoke in favor throughout - almost too many to list!

2:14:45 - Board Discussion and vote on creation of Pride/Ally club

Today, parents of LGBTQ+ youth today are no longer worried about the other kids at school, this year we’re way more concerned about the other adults in the room with our children every day.  Will my child be ridiculed by a teacher or staff member?  Will their pronouns be respected? Will they be told they can’t dress a certain way or not allowed to use restrooms? So, how can we support our vulnerable kids legally, emotionally, and physically? My guest, Elena Joy Thurston (she/her), is here to share how you can find this knowledge and support.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Elena addresses barriers to information access for parents of LGBTQ+ youth
• One of the most impactful strategies for holding adults accountable in schools
• Three different types of energy that we feel when we want to speak up 
• The difference between Gen X and Gen Z in the workplace

If you want to chat more about this topic, I would love to continue this conversation with you over on Instagram! @megstheconnector

SHOW NOTES: http://www.megsthebrand.com/episode85