LGBTQ+ Teachers Jennifer Ochoa and Dylan Kapit Reflect on Experiences Decades Apart
- 5 years ago
These two LGBTQ+ teachers reflect on their experiences decades apart.
June 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Recognize this historic anniversary for the LGBTQ+ movement, NowThis launched a series of intergenerational conversations between two people in the LGBTQ+ community who share similar experiences but decades apart in age.
Dylan Kapit uses they/them pronouns and teaches in the New York metro area. Jennifer Ochoa also teaches in NYC and is queer-identifying. Growing up Ochoa had feelings for women but kept them concealed and ended up getting married in her twenties. Having no means to look up queer-friendly spaces on the internet back then, she ended up frequently at a gay bar in her area and ruminating on her identity. Kapit grew up in Maryland in a very conforming community, and said they tried to conform to being a woman but continuously questioned their identity. They eventually got a drastic haircut and began attempting a more masculine appearance.
Jennifer started her teaching career 27 years ago, but has only been out to her students for three years. In 1998, the murder of 21-year-old gay man Matthew Shepard inspired her to make a breakthrough in her career. After learning that kids with disabilities and different identities tend to be looked down upon, she was inspired to teach future generations and help advocate for those who aren’t part of the status quo.
This video, "LGBTQ+ Teachers Jennifer Ochoa and Dylan Kapit Reflect on Experiences Decades Apart", first appeared on
nowthisnews.com.
June 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Recognize this historic anniversary for the LGBTQ+ movement, NowThis launched a series of intergenerational conversations between two people in the LGBTQ+ community who share similar experiences but decades apart in age.
Dylan Kapit uses they/them pronouns and teaches in the New York metro area. Jennifer Ochoa also teaches in NYC and is queer-identifying. Growing up Ochoa had feelings for women but kept them concealed and ended up getting married in her twenties. Having no means to look up queer-friendly spaces on the internet back then, she ended up frequently at a gay bar in her area and ruminating on her identity. Kapit grew up in Maryland in a very conforming community, and said they tried to conform to being a woman but continuously questioned their identity. They eventually got a drastic haircut and began attempting a more masculine appearance.
Jennifer started her teaching career 27 years ago, but has only been out to her students for three years. In 1998, the murder of 21-year-old gay man Matthew Shepard inspired her to make a breakthrough in her career. After learning that kids with disabilities and different identities tend to be looked down upon, she was inspired to teach future generations and help advocate for those who aren’t part of the status quo.
This video, "LGBTQ+ Teachers Jennifer Ochoa and Dylan Kapit Reflect on Experiences Decades Apart", first appeared on
nowthisnews.com.