I would really like to express to my teacher how impactful have a gay women of color have been on my confidence as student/ future professional in the fieldfeildas a gay woman of color too. Is that crossing any boundaries? I don't want to sound like I'm discrediting her hard work and research, but its been a big help and I think its an unintended effect/something she may like to know
Yes, you can definitely say that to a professor and its not crossing any boundaries. She will also appreciate it because just like you she understands where you are coming from. Having people of color in positions that you later want to occupy is SOOO fucking powerful. Its one of the best feelings. I would also encourage you to seek them as a mentor so you can seek help when you need to in the future. There are a lot of books and articles on how to get someone to be your mentor and how to maintain the relationship so go and read those. But the main thing about getting a mentor is telling someone 1) I respect you and your work 2) I will probably need help along this path and I would really appreciate it if I can come to you with questions later on Mentors are literally life-saving and its not an uncommon thing so if you respect her work, her path and you like her go for it. Mentors have opened so many doors for me and I can almost guarantee you that its her same experience. And then when you make it later on in your career, make sure to go back and mentor other people coming behind you IF all of that gives you too much anxiety, then just letting her know that you appreciate her is good!
If she doesn't like it, then she's part of the problem, not your statement. (Especially since I don't know how you would be discrediting her by saying this)
I fully agree with @smurf but have one little sidenote to add: how do you know she's gay? this might affect if you can approach her about it. for example, if you only know because you stalked her and found out she had a wife, maybe it's not the greatest idea to bring it up. if on the other hand she is very open about it then absolutely no problem! i assume the latter is the case, but i just wanted to bring it up just in case
I agree with you, emphasizing the impact that being a gay woman of color has on you does put style above substance. A better approach is to express your admiration without specifying the reason. Tell her you hope to be like her one day and she will get the message.
Are you all white? Listen, admiring someone for being a person of color in a powerful position is not style above substance. There are SO many barrier of entry to certain fields. Simply getting there is a fit unto itself. We know the barriers, both physical and mental, that it took to get there. Many of us will have to fight the same fights, so seeing someone who can help guide us through the process is priceless. Its okay to tell someone "Holly shit you MADE it!" because you know how much effort it took.
