MassLive recently asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the LGBTQ+ community throughout the state, working to make a difference in their own area of interest, be it politics, education, business or the arts.
Profiles of these leaders will be published through the rest of February. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.
Stacy Lord is an art educator and the co-founder of a non-profit called Creative Hub Worcester. Sebastian Restrepo
Stacy Lord
Age: 48
Community: Worcester
Her story: Stacy Lord has worked as an arts educator in Worcester Public Schools for 22 years, she said. She’s also the co-founder of Creative Hub Worcester — a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ initiatives in Worcester to promote inclusivity and empowerment within the arts community.
Lord’s experience growing up as a queer person in a small town propelled her to work on issues of LGBTQ+ acceptance and creativity, she said. When she was an adolescent, there were no safe spaces or resources for young queer people available to her.
“Like many young people who start questioning their identity, the first thing you feel after that realization moment and a sense of relief is usually a sense of loneliness, followed by fear and anxiety about how your family, caregivers, or friends will perceive you,” she said.
After coming out, Lord was viewed differently by her community, and she found this confusing and upsetting, she said.
“I could not figure out why, now, so many people saw me as different. No one should feel that way. No one deserves to feel less than someone else, less loved, less respected, less anything,” she wrote.
Now, as an educator, Lord provides her students with the support she never had. She works to make her classroom a refuge for those facing discrimination or feeling confused about their identity.
“It’s paramount for me, as an educator, to refrain from imposing my personal opinions onto students. Instead, I prioritize validating their experiences and fostering empathy and understanding among them,” she wrote.
Supporting young queer people is especially important given that Human Rights Campaign’s 2023 LGBTQ+ Youth Report found that nearly 85% of young LGB+ people realized that they weren’t straight when they were 13 years of age or younger, Lord said.
“These statistics clearly indicate that we need to do better to provide support to our queer youth to keep them safe and remind them that they are loved,” she said.
At Creative Hub Worcester, she and her wife and co-founder, Laura Marotta, support LGBTQ+ people through their after-school program and annual arts festival. They also do consulting, create public art, and have a mobile art van that does on-site art workshops.
But there are a number of ways teachers and others who interact with young LGBTQ+ people can help create safe spaces and promote acceptance. Lord recommends asking for everyone what their name and pronouns are and using those names and pronouns. Additionally, any expression of bias or stereotypes should be addressed immediately.
Lord also recommends that businesses and organizations consider sponsoring or volunteering at LGBTQ+ youth events and reaching out to queer nonprofit organizations to ask how they can support them, even if it is just through a donation.
Displaying a Pride flag or sticker at your organization or business can also be a powerful act of solidarity, Lord said.
“Although it may seem like a small gesture, it can have a significant impact on the queer community,” she said.
In her words: “My classroom serves as a sanctuary for students to express themselves and delve into their identities freely, whatever they may be.”
We’re always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If you’d like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
