PayPal now has a cool option to create a donate link, so I did:
https://www.paypal.me/helenboydbooks
Recently I surprised a friend who was under the (incorrect) assumption that professors make a lot of money. They don’t. I’m not working for a non-profit, so I don’t get paid that way either. And while I’m happy that I get to do a lot of events of various kinds, even educators need to pay their bills.
So if you like what I do, consider donating.
Here’s a short list of what I do on the regular:
- run an online group for partners of trans people
- run the MHB community forums
- answer calls / find resources for people who need them
And here’s an idea of what I do in the space of a month:
- Talkback for tonight’s performance of Hydrogen Jukebox at Lawrence.
- Next Friday a cultural competency lecture on gender diversity, also at Lawrence
- Next Saturday a workshop on trans advocacy for trans families at the WI LGBTQ Summit
- I’ll be around to answer questions at an ‘I Am Jazz’ reading at the Appleton Public Library
- A few weeks later, I’ll do the keynote for a fundraiser for Rainbow Over Wisconsin.
Obviously when I do talk for organizations and companies, they pay me, but when I work for LGBTQ events, educational resources, or trans specific orgs, I don’t charge.
professor pay depends on a few factors for sure. Do you teach at a teaching or research school? Do you bring in grant money? How much? what subject do you teach? At what school do you teach? I work at one one of the largest public universities in the country. starting lecturers make around 70k a year. a full professor with grant money falling out of their ass could make 250k a year and have perks like a driver and their spouses often get positions there too. sciences and engineering do better than the humanities and social sciences. Yet this school is one of three state schools and is the only one without trans covered healthcare and we’re the biggest. The president of the school makes a million a year. Maybe he can donate. I haven’t had a cost of living increase in over two years.
Of course there’s a ton of variability also depending on what state you’re in, too, and because WI has a low COL, our salaries are lower. But generally speaking, he was surprised we’re not all making more than $70k.