#WeAreAyrshireCollege
Ayrshire College celebrates and values its staff and is working hard to increase its workforce diversity.
Meet our people in their own words.
Meet Johnnie
meet val
"It took a long time to just be me; there was a long journey from self-doubt to self-acceptance and a deep need to realise that I could not possibly be 'all things to all people'.
I always knew that there was a very distinct probability that I was LGBT+ but, growing up in Ayrshire in the 70’s/80’s didn’t lend itself to being honest or open about your sexuality. I know my own parents would never have accepted it, and so it was a long time after they both passed away that I was able to be honest about that aspect of my life. It took a failed marriage and a lot of soul searching to admit to my identity as a lesbian, and initially it was quite difficult to know where I 'fitted in'. Like a sponge I soaked up all the online facts (and fiction) about the LGBT+ community as it was in the late 90’s and early 00’s, falling into the trap of cutting my hair really short, getting tattoos, and piercing the top of my right ear, all because I felt that’s what I needed to do to fit in, identify as either “butch” or “femme”.
I marched in Pride, both Glasgow and London, went to clubs in Glasgow and I met a lot of people online. One of those people turned out to be a fantastic friend and mentor called Chelly, a mental health nurse, who sat me down one day and over a fantastic homemade vegetarian curry, told me to just be myself, you can’t be everything to everyone – it’s too exhausting!
Chelly told me that there were all kinds of people out there in our big LGBT+ community; some who had been out for a long time, confident in who they were as human beings and what they wanted out of life, and some newbies like myself, who were a lot like Labrador puppies, all eager to please but constantly falling over
themselves and getting in their own way, and some who were still struggling with who they truly were and who might never have the support or security to be themselves.
So I stopped trying so hard to “be a lesbian” and I just live my life to my truth, in my way and make my own mistakes, unapologetically.
Of course, there is more LGBT+ visibility and inclusion now, backed up by anti-discrimination legislation, and that really helps people to normalise being part of the wider community and not feel like an alien in your own skin or that you must hide behind a façade to blend in and not be targeted as being different. It is a liberating experience to just be you without hiding any aspect of yourself when you are in everyday life. The one piece of advice I am happy to share with anyone and everyone remains the same - just be yourself, the most honest and true version of you no matter what and above all else respect yourself, respect others and live life your way."
Listen to Val in the Rockpool Podcasts episode ‘Your voice, your song’ here
Meet Delvin
"I feel certainly it was important for myself to share my disability status with the college as I wanted both my managers and colleagues to better understand me. When you have Asperger’s Syndrome, you will experience difficulty in relating to others in a social aspect along with going through thinking patterns which are frequently cyclical and unyielding. Every day is a challenge for me I have to admit, because I never go into a day thinking of it as a blank canvas, I’m always anticipating what could go wrong or what problems I could potentially experience. So my message to anyone else who works for Ayrshire College and has a disability or long term condition is please do not be afraid or feel you will be made to be different from others – I feel it’s extremely important to talk about disabilities amongst staff as it could help foster stronger and more understandable working relationships and could help bring about more and even improved support for staff wellbeing."
Listen to Devlin in the Rockpool Podcasts episode ‘Equality Matters: part 3’ here.
Meet Lisa
Growing up, the way I learned about the LGBT+ community was by listening to the views and opinions of others.
There were no formal lessons or inclusion at school, clubs, or even on television. Conversations were often scathing comments, gossip, ridicule, describing physical acts as dirty or wrong, judgement and intolerance. Having people you know or trust express these views or comments drives home the message that what you feel or do is 'wrong'.
Keeping these feelings private and protecting myself from this was as natural as the feelings themselves.
Holding back doesn't just impact your home life, it also impacts your work life. It wasn't until my adult years, that I had the confidence and support to live my life more freely.
It is apparent, after hearing about the experiences of friends in their workplaces, that the College has always been leading the way with regards to equality and inclusion. The work the College has done over the years to ensure that we are more inclusive and supportive of LGBT+ people has been exceptional.
By working towards the LGBT Youth Scotland Charter, the College has been raising awareness to ensure that we become champions of LGBT inclusion where our LGBT staff, students and visitors feel safe, supported, and included. I can’t stress the importance of this enough. Having completed this training, I can see the real benefits and positive effects it will have and how it will help create a better world for myself, my wife, our daughter and for others.
My life experiences have made me the person I am. I wouldn't change anything about my life now, but my wish for the future is that the LGBT+ community can live more openly, not through determination to show they are no different from anyone else, but through the confidence that there is no difference made.