I spent the last couple of days in Atlanta, GA at the Reaching Out MBA Conference. Reaching Out is a national MBA conference for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender) students. The programming was impressive. The conference is complete with workshops, key note speakers and a career fair. The most amazing part…it is student organized and run!
This is my second time attending the conference. Each time I go I learn a little more about myself and become more comfortable in my role as an ally within the gay community. I tend to start out at the conference feeling a little queer. I’m not gay but I want to be a better advocate for our LGBT students…both who are “out” and those who are not quite ready to take that step. One of the speakers at the conference, LZ Granderson an openly gay writer for ESPN, reminded me just how important my role as an ally is in both personal and professional settings. This is not about evangelism for gay rights, but it is about human rights and fairness. LZ reminded me that bullying doesn’t belong in school yards or board rooms.
I’m looking forward to being a better advocate and can’t wait to for the next Reaching Out conference.
By Wendy Huber
Associate Director of Admissions
University of Virginia
Darden School of Business
HuberW@darden.virginia.edu
