Academic Discrimination. I'm gonna explode.

[BrendaQG]

Why do you think Bailey has no trouble finding employment? Writing his book was the most sure-way for him to advance his career because it made him a household name in his field, and as a result attracted like-minded religious crazies to supporting him (and by detachment, any university he is affiliated with). If he had merely wrote more of what was already written, avoided controversy, and failed to appease social conservatives Bailey would be just another unknown, ignored psyc professor. He certainly wouldn't be the go-to guy for the New York Times' coverage of lgbt science if he had just kept repeating the already established views on the field...

Like minded religious crazies. I would not call him that. I would call him a drinking, cavorting, Al Bundy like character. (He really did play highschool football and if you said the wrong things he would talk about it much the way Bundy did.) Who liked to spend a good amount of his free time with gay men and transsexuals. Religious.... perhaps only for a couple hours on Sundays as he wanted a quiet place to sit for a couple hours after a hard Saturday night of drinking. (But that's probably 49% of people right there in some form or fashion.)

Oh and as for being pompus and superior acting... you do realize that my life's ambition was to be just such a college professor right? I could take that personally. lol

[BrendaQG]

Trish... I can't tell you what to do. Staying somewhat out of the closet as you work your way up would demonstrate that we as a society have moved on. On the other hand, does that change your ability? Will it change mine? no. So far as I am concerned your working your way up but keeping a lid on your past proves just as much as it would be if you were out.

The problem I see ahead is that then you have to worry that you will work your way up, get outed somehow, then because the people you work with are bigots they will make you miserable, or get you fired.

There are +'s and -'s either way.

Oh well. Life will go on. I'll find some way, maybe an unorthodox way, to get past this sort of biggotry. In theory there is nothing that says I need this or that degree to practice my kind of physics (purely theoretical, all I really need is a pen and paper). A degree is only needed to make thoughtless people listen.

Mimi. I'll see you soon right. Trust that I'll have so much to say then.

[Oli]

Just a question...did you get your M.S.?

[peggygee]

A few thoughts.

At the risk of sounding naive, I don't get the sense that your former professors will
divulge your trans-status. I sincerely want to believe that your letter of recommendation
will only discuss your academic abilites.

And while you may have not been matriculating, or been accepted for a degree conferring
program, I get the sense that your exemplary grades will put you in good stead to gain
entry into a PhD program.

However, it may not be at the school of your choosing. I realize that you are fond of
Chicago, and that it is your home. But you may need to consider relocating to another
State or even country.

I've known you for qome time now, and I know that you are very committed to seeing your
dream come to fruition.

And I want you to succeed almost as much you want you to succeed. As another woman of
color working in the field of science, it truly would gladden my heart.

Thus I would hope that you are able to keep the faith, stay the course, and keep up the
good work Doctor.

[foxtonoc]

Hi,

So so sorry to hear about your struggles. Unfortunately, I can't say that I believe that you will get much traction from a legal perspective. Without a documented history of unfair treatment these types of cases rarely have a way forward. I helped a friend of mine years ago with a sexual harassment case that had what seemed to be a reasonable amount of evidence - nothing ever really happened. One thing you may try is to ask the Dean of Admissions why your application was rejected. It's unlikely that you will get a fair answer if things are as you believe but one can hope that some useful info might percolate through. In addition, after being in the program for several years, you probably know who your advocates are - you might be able to have a very frank conversation with them if you engage them with the understanding that in this situation, you probably cannot expect them to advocate for you against the institution.

Anyway, I want to suggest that your reliance on your professors for letters of support may be somewhat less important than you expect. I think that if you can find other advocates to write a letter of support and cover your application material with an emphasis on your academic performance then you might be ok if you apply to other programs.

You could gain traction by going and visiting with faculty of departments you might want to work in. This may very well turn out to be a "take the bull by the horns" kind of opportunity. Talk face to face with people and you will be able to identify those that will support your way forward. While it sounds very much like you would hope to stay in the Chicago area it may be that you will need to break out of the geographic area.

Last idea, you can always try to find the side door. Find a program that you can get into that provides a way to get connected to the program you really want. Some schools are particularly good with interdisciplinary programs where you can enter a program from a number of different departments. Get in, perform well, find your advocates, then head the direction you want.

One thing is certain, there are relatively few motivated, passionate people entering academics and I think you will be able to find people who may view your situation and recognize the kind of person you are along with the intellectual ability that you obviously have. Most people are pretty passive about education even when rising to the PhD level. Your passion will be noticed by someone, certainly!

Good luck,

Fox