Lgbtq Case Study

A panel of LGBTQ advocates sat front and center to discuss their experiences about “being out” in the workplace, and to answer questions from University of Central Florida students that stemmed from personal association.

The LGBTQ Employer Panel, led by Career Services and LGBTQ+ Services, was held on March 29 from 3-5 p.m. in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union.

The panel consisted of five Central Florida residents:

Gina Duncan – Director of Transgender Inclusion, Equality Florida
Wendi Hammond – Drug Treatment Specialist and LGBT Program Manager, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Boyd Lindsley – Associate Director, Nicholson School of Communication at UCF
Gustavo Rico – Donor Relations Coordinator, Harvest Food and Outreach Center
Todd Ruopp – Founder and President, Unleashing Performance Inc.
The panelists
“It’s really meant to bridge that gap because some LGBTQ students feel afraid to apply for a job or be out in the workforce, but it’s a way to kind of show that it can get better,” Andrade said. “And it’s okay to also leave if you’re in a place where you don’t feel safe.”

Duncan, who leads Equality Florida’s Transgender Inclusion Initiative, said she has dealt with the concept of intersectionality within the transgender community and different segments of society. Intersectionality, according to Huffington Post, is a theory of how different types of discrimination, such as gender or race, interact with each other, giving advocates a way to fight for their visibility.

“We believe that visibility leads to awareness, awareness leads to education and then education leads to normalcy,” Duncan said. “The more we can have the dialogue, the more we can have this discussion about what it means to be LGBTQ in the