BAH WMNS/ENGL 1995; BEd 1996
When I learned that I was the first cis-male to graduate with a concentration in Womens Studies, I immediately thought of what I had in common with trailblazers like Annie Fowler and Eliza Fitzgerald, the first women to earn degrees at Queens -- which is, of course, nothing.
These women were met with ridicule and hostility from outside and within Queens. They had obstacles to their graduation that no man ever had to face.
The general reaction to my being in Womens Studies was no reaction at all. I didnt so much blaze a trail as walk down a comfortable, well-signed, path. Never did anyone suggest to me that I had no right to be there or treat me with the slightest hostility.
The most compelling evidence for the insignificance of my first, though, is that I didnt even know about it until a few weeks ago when I was asked to write a few words about my experience in Womens Studies. But while Im not sure Ive earned this platform, that wont keep me from using it!
After a few years of pursuing a Math degree, I knew my university education was missing something. I took Womens Studies 100 out of curiosity and because it was so different than my other courses. By the end of the first class, I was hooked and I left Math for Womens Studies that year.
Womens Studies changed me forever. It helped me see power: who had it, who benefited from it, who suffered at its hand, and how those who had it, ensured they kept it. Womens Studies taught me to listen to voices Id never heard before. Womens Studies helped me to see what was wrong and what I could do to help.
Today I work as the Principal of an adult education centre located in a federal womens correctional facility. Its certainly not where most Womens Studies students see themselves working (I certainly didnt). But in this job, I use what I learned in Womens Studies every single day.
I cant overstate how much Womens Studies at Queens gave me, including this platform to say, 'Thank you.'