Inspiring Conversations with Heather Buja of PRISM Detroit

Hi Heather, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
PRISM Detroit was founded in 2013 when Teach For America educators banded together to create a space for LGBTQIA+ educators to connect and build community. After-school brainstorming sessions on Google Docs led to happy hours, trivia and game nights, and discussion panels aimed at bringing queer educators together. One discussion panel featured Michigan’s first openly transgender Teacher of the Year, Owen Bondono, who shared their experiences in the classrooms and the lessons they’ve learned. Visibility and simply being together can provide an unparalleled sense of validation that you’re not the only one out there facing the challenges that come with being a queer educator in the public school system.

Fast forward to 2021. We challenged ourselves to think about our goals of building community, empowering educators and students, and changing the climate and systems in our schools. We thought critically about our mission and how we could use our collective power to make this vision a reality. Through our own experiences and engagement with other LGBTQIA+ educators, we were aware of the vast challenges our teachers and youth face in schools: homophobic slurs, harassment, lack of support from school administration and staff, and an absence of resources and professional development. With this challenge in front of us, we dived into research on how educators can address these challenges and transform our schools to be inclusive and empowering spaces for queer teachers and students. Research revealed that Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) are an incredibly powerful tool that have substantial impact on student wellness, belonging, and academic achievement. Gender Sexuality Alliances – formerly known as Gay-Straight Alliances – are student-run organizations that empower LGBTQIA+ and allied youth by creating a safe environment for students be themselves and find belonging while also providing a space to engage together and organize around social justice issues.While some GSAs exist in Detroit, they are not widespread and are often lacking the resources and support needed to effectively provide a space for LGBTQIA+ students.  During a lively brainstorming session, an inspirational idea emerged: what if we could help further the development of GSAs in Detroit schools? Using our knowledge of the GSA landscape in Detroit and the experiences of many GSA advisors, we identified three ways to support GSAs: connect GSA advisors, provide financial support to GSAs, and develop and compile Detroit-centered resources for GSAs. As a group, we collectively decided that these strategic initiatives could bring PRISM’s mission and vision to life.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a queer educator in our public school system isn’t easy. Queer educators face a multitude of challenges, both personally and politically. The unfortunate reality is that a third of LGBTQIA+ educators feel their job could be at risk if they were out to administrators, and over half feel their job could be at risk if they were out to students (GLSEN). News headlines are filled with legislation targeting LGBTQIA+ teachers and students. A record number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been filed in state legislatures this year. Our existence as queer educators is often at the center of hostile political debate, leaving many of us wondering: is it safe to be myself in my classroom? How can I support my LGBTQIA+ students? It can be draining and lonely to navigate these challenges alone, especially on top of the demands of being an educator.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The mission of PRISM Detroit is to create inclusive learning spaces for Detroit LGBTQIA+ students by building a coalition that develops leaders, strengthens community, and advocates for equitable policies. We envision that all Detroit schools will be inclusive and affirming environments that empower LGBTQIA+ students to lead in their schools and communities.What is surprising to some folks is that our work is not student-facing. Instead, we seek to empower the educators, support staff, advocates, and community members who know our students best and work with them daily. Recently, we have decided to focus on three strategic goals for the 2022-2023 school year. The first goal is to create a network of GSA advisors who can lean on one another for support as they lead their GSAs. In the past, we’ve hosted “unworkshops,” a space where advisors can share resources and best practices while building a strong community focused on providing the best support possible for our students. The second goal is to disperse direct financial support to GSAs for supplies, activities, field trips, and school-wide initiatives. Teachers often spend their own money or spend time fundraising for special projects. Our GSA Scholarship Fund allows GSAs to easily apply for direct funding to support the projects and activities that students and advisors want to lead so that GSAs can focus on what’s important: the students. The third goal is developing Detroit-centered resources and professional development for LGBTQIA+ educators because not all resources address the specific issues our youth face. We are incredibly excited to kick off this school year and provide the support that our students deserve.So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
For me, this work is incredibly personal. Like many others, I grew up without the support necessary to understand my identity and sexuality. It wasn’t safe to be myself at my school or in my home, and I suffered many mental health challenges as I navigated my teens and early twenties. LGBTQIA+ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (The Trevor Project). For queer youth of color, the suicide attempt rate is even higher, highlighting the severe effects of systemic racism and oppression (The Trevor Project). However, a study by the Trevor Project revealed that the presence of at least one affirming adult can reduce the risk of suicide by 40 percent. Affirming a young person’s identity is critical, which is why our students, teachers, and community matter most to us.

Empowering educators and community advocates to create affirming spaces for our youth is the core of our work. So far, we have done this through activism, Pride celebrations, and supporting student-led initiatives. On April 1, 2022, PRISM Detroit joined a nationwide, student-led walkout to protest Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law (also known as the Parental Rights in Education law) and other anti-LGBTQIA+ bills across the nation. The protest was organized by a coalition of student-led organizations, including MI Students Dream, D.A.Y.U.M., Congress of Communities, and MOASH. This law and associated bills include measures that: restrict discussion of LGBTQIA+ issues in schools; permit the use of religious exemptions to discriminate against LGBTQIA+ educators and students; limit trans people’s ability to play sports, use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity; and receive gender-affirming care. One of our board members, Becky Kissel, the Assistant Principal at Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, shared her perspective on the impact of this legislation on our classrooms and community and our roles as educators: “Discussions about gender development sexuality are important — not only for looks of validation on the faces of my queer students — but also because they open up possibilities for all students. These laws prove that all of my students will inevitably encounter homophobia in their lives. My classroom offers historical and scientific evidence that fights bigotry. My job as a teacher is to provide factual information and encourage critical thinking.”

We recently participated in Detroit Public Schools Community District’s (DPSCD) second annual Pride Festival. This year’s in-person format allowed us to have a vendor booth to share our resources with DPSCD teachers and give out fun prizes to DPSCD students. Our hearts were filled with joy seeing students affirmed and celebrating Pride together. We handed out pronoun pins, candy, fidgets, and LGBTQIA+ inclusive books. We had students and teachers share and post an affirmation about what brings them joy, what makes them proud, and their favorite thing about themselves. Their responses affirmed why this work is so important. One student wrote: “Being able to be who I truly am brings me joy. Another wrote: ”I am proud of myself for surviving and making it this far.”We are excited to launch our GSA Scholarship Fund this fall, which will open direct funding to GSA advisors! The very first recipient of our GSA Scholarship Fund is Congress of Communities in Southwest Detroit. The youth in the Lavender Society – Congress of Communities’ LGBTQIA+ club – are hosting a Queer Prom in August 2022. Unfortunately, many proms are not inclusive to LGBTQIA+ students. Students in the Lavender Society decided to address this by organizing a prom where everyone can freely express themselves. PRISM Detroit is sponsoring this youth-organized event through financial support, providing chaperones for the event, promotion, and making connections with GSA advisors. Student-led opportunities, where students are advocating for what they need, are the types of initiatives we look forward to supporting this school year. By empowering those closest to the students — educators and staff who serve as allies and advocates — we are creating conditions where students can thrive.