Changemakers: From Teacher of the Year to a Landmark LGBTQ+ Rights Case
A conversation with Brett Bigham, the 2014 Oregon Teacher of the Year and first special education teacher to win the honor.
His tough fight against the district eventually contributed to a meaningful win for change. His case was included in an amicus brief reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, influencing the June 2020 ruling that now protects LGBTQ+ people nationwide from workplace discrimination.
About the speaker:
Brett Bigham is the first special education teacher in Oregon to be named State Teacher of the Year. During his year of service, he was told by his supervisor if he said he was gay in public he would be fired. From that stemmed a state investigation and a case that ended up as an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Bostock vs. Clayton County. This ruling gave workplace rights to LGBTQ employees all across the United States. Brett is also the creator of "Ability Guidebooks," a book series that helps autistic people visit places in their community. There are books for over 170 destinations in forty countries and in six languages. Bigham has twice been named a National Education Association Foundation Global Fellow and was the first special education teacher from Oregon to be named their Educator of Excellence. The MUGU Foundation of India has named Brett their Global Education Innovator for his work supporting teachers and special education students in Bangladesh and this past year he was named an Unsung Hero by the VOYA Foundation. Brett is currently a Leading Educator Ambassador for Equity for the civil rights group the Education Civil Rights Alliance (ECRA).