Care

In the article, Restler uses Sarah to talk about “being” as an act of care. In past jobs, this is something I’ve thought about a lot. I’ve found myself asking “how queer I’m allowed to be” at work, and felt like I needed to balance my own security (in jobs with not-always-welcoming employers/coworkers) with wanting to show up as a queer adult for the young people in my program. People get very weird
about queerness and young people, and it can be both vulnerable and sometimes tricky to make known when you’re the adult in the room. I think everyone knows the feeling of when you first saw an adult owning their identity and succeeding, and I feel Sarah’s desire to be that for young people. It reminds me of the idea of “brave spaces” versus traditional safe spaces, with the creation of brave spaces as a way to demonstrate critical care.

At my internship, I notice sometimes that rules are bent to make sure everyone is cared for. Extra snacks might be given when people are hungry, extra bus passes if we know they won’t get home from work safely without one. I think some aspects of Nieto’s critical care could be more evident. Sometimes it seems like the adults in the space might not want to name oppression, and instead look for ways to solve its symptoms, which can make it feel like a personal issue.