Dating Within Teams (Especially as an LGBTQ+ Student)

The clocks are ticking; there’s only two more days until Kickoff! There’s a lot to think about during this time, such as designing and building a robot, writing code, finishing Chairman’s essays, preparing scouting systems, the list goes on and on. Last, but certainly not least, comes dating.

Dating is always tricky, but it can be even more difficult during build season. It’s hard finding time around robotics to balance homework, self-care, jobs, and relationships. As an LGBT+ student, all these factors and more come into play. By dating, you might risk outing yourself or others; and accidentally creating drama on the team if relations are not kept business-like and graciously professional. Hopefully after reading this, maneuvering the robotics dating field will be much easier!

1. Time Management- Don’t completely neglect your partner during build season. Communicate that there will have to be less time spent together, and decide upon a regular time of the week to go on dates. Make sure to leave time for yourself and homework, too! Personally, the only way I could accomplish this was reducing my work schedule to four hours per week.
2. Announcing the Relationship- Be aware of your partner’s needs; if they do not give you consent to tell others about the relationship, then don’t. If you tell others anyways, remember that you might be outing them to people they aren’t ready to be out to yet, or maybe your partner just doesn’t want to create any unnecessary tension or drama on the team.
3. Dealing With Drama- Maybe you and your partner broke up. Maybe your team felt it unprofessional to be flamboyantly dating and having public displays of affection. Maybe someone else is jealous. Whatever the case may be, drama isn’t fun for anyone involved. Therefore, if there are any breakups, try to maintain a civil relationship with your ex. If your team doesn’t want you to have PDA, tone it down a notch and remember to use the same manners as you would at a family gathering where your grandparents are watching your every move. If someone is jealous, don’t rub the relationship in their face, and follow a similar procedure to the one described in the previous sentence.

Dating is always complicated, but if you handle it maturely, your relationship can survive the stress of build and competition season. Good luck to all teams as you take on FIRST Steamworks!

-August S. 2194