Courage in the Classroom: LGBT teachers share their stories

Catherine Lee is professor of inclusive education and leadership and deputy dean at Anglia Ruskin University in the East of England. She is also a National Teaching Fellow in recognition of her work to improve the national landscape in schools and universities. Before working in higher education, Catherine spent more than 20 years as a teacher, in both inner-city Liverpool and rural Suffolk. She was initially a PE teacher before gaining promotion to learning development and pastoral leadership roles in mainstream schools. Catherine is passionate about equality and diversity and has published extensively on the theme of LGBTQ+ inclusion. In 2016, working with schools, she set up the UK's first leadership development programme for LGBTQ+ teachers and has supported almost 100 LGBTQ+ teachers to secure school leadership roles. Catherine has been nominated for a number of national awards for her work in education, including a British Diversity Award and a National Diversity Award. She featured in the 2019 Pride Power List as one of the most influential LGBT people in the UK. Catherine has a number of strategic governance roles in the education and charity sectors, where she uses her national profile in pursuit of inclusive education and to improve the lives of those on the margins.