The Twitter account @BioTweeps, which features posts from a different biologist each week, recently announced #LGBTscience. The goal of the hashtag is to support diversity in STEM fields and promote the work of LGBTI scientists.
On the week of 29 January, the @BioTweeps account was hosted by Robin Hayward, a PhD student in the department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University Of Stirling. During his time on the account, he began an important conversation about diversity in the sciences.
I would love it then if we could take the time this week to boost the visibility of some LGBT+ academics using the hashtag #LGBTscience [IMPORTANT: make sure they’re ok with it before boosting! Double check first if you’re not sure someone is out on twitter] 🏳️🌈
— Biotweeps – Morgan (@biotweeps) January 29, 2018
I’ll retweet to boost through the @biotweeps account and also, don’t hold back from boosting yourself through the tag if you identify as LGBT+. You don’t have to wait for someone else to do it and you can even share your science at the same time! 🏳️🌈
— Biotweeps – Morgan (@biotweeps) January 29, 2018
Background
Though LGBTI people have always been part of STEM, many may keep quiet about their LGBTI identity.
‘LGBTQ people make contributions in every field of science, yet many do not feel safe opening up about their personal identities in a discipline that prides itself on being as impersonal, bipartisan, gender-neutral and race-neutral as humanly possible,’ writes the staff at ScienceAF.
‘Often in the scientific community, putting forward a personal identity is seen as a direct opposition to scientific neutrality – even if it has nothing to do with the actual academic work. As a result, personal identities are often conspicuously missing from academia, creating a scarcity of scientist role models for LGBTQ youth.’
Reactions
However, since Hayward’s rein at @BioTweeps, many LGBTI scientists from around the world have come forward to talk about their work, their identities, and how STEM fields can be more inclusive.
Jumping in on #LGBTscience! I’m a queer/gay ecologist focused on herpetology currently studying invasive tegu lizard demographics. I’m starting a PhD in Australia in March to work with bearded dragon sex reversal. I also tweet about mental health and queerness.
— Phil Pearson (@pr_pearson) January 29, 2018
#LGBTscience hi yes crushes and romance are a bit of a mystery to me, but I’m studying engineering at Cambridge, ready to build up the 9% of women and 6% of bme people in the engineering workforce!! pic.twitter.com/vOmGuFOIGx
— caryn (@cxryny) February 1, 2018
Taking a break from my usual astronomy work for an undergrad internship at CERN studying particle physics, and I am already researching how to help them implement better trans policies! #LGBTscience
— Evan (@evandmitri) February 3, 2018
I just came across this very important thread #LGBTscience. What a great idea! I wish there were more LGBTQI role models when I was moving through the ranks. I’m a proud lesbian and professor of microbiology who studies alternate bacterial lifestyles 🏳️🌈🌈
— Professor Cynthia Whitchurch (@Cwhitch) January 30, 2018
Thank you #LGBTscience for giving me the courage to first ever explicitly say it in public (after 3 days of hesitation). I am #LGBTQ in STEM and a PhD student in the @RZ_Lab at @PittBioSci. I study sexual selection and color divergence in a polymorphic poison frog! 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/2Pcv6L0TFF
— Yusan Yang (@yusan_yang) February 1, 2018
#LGBTscience has given me the strength to say this for the first time to those outside of my circle of trust: I am a bisexual, native woman studying microbes in salt marshes. I am also married to a male partner, though that doesn’t change my queer identity! 🏳️🌈🌿🌊 #LGBTIQ
— Ashley Bulseco-McKim (@MarshMicrobe) February 1, 2018
A very gay girl studying a Bachelor of Advanced Science with a major in Physics this year. I love being gay as much as I love physics! And that’s a hell of a lot. 😉🏳️🌈 #LGBTscience
— kat (@bxIlets) February 1, 2018
Hello #LGBTscience! It’s ace to see this trending and and hear the stories brilliant LGBTQ+ scientists. Im a queer postdoc at researching neurodiverse interaction, and I have a PhD in cognitive ageing. Hello! 👋🏼 (picture from wonderful @ErrantScience) pic.twitter.com/a9biBmfjWX
— Catherine Crompton (@cjcrompton) February 1, 2018
Hi #lgbtscience! I’m a bisexual black woman with a PhD in Neurosci. I studied the synaptic organization of deep layer cortical neurons, and co-founded @jhscipolgroup. ✊🏽 🏳️🌈 As a recovering grad on the job hunt, I’m interested in sci pol and #scicomm! (TY @djottenheimer!) pic.twitter.com/yLjXFvUXaR
— Chanel Matney, PhD (@cortexana) February 3, 2018
I’m a planetary geoscientist and proud #spacewoc pursuing my PhD at UCL/MSSL in automated data fusion of Mars images for surface science, made a little braver by #LGBTscience 🐋 pic.twitter.com/fivJfQPMsY
— Divya M. (@Divya_M_P) February 1, 2018
Yasssss #LGBTscience is repping hard this week. My turn!
🏳️🌈 pansexual, two-spirit, Louisiana Creole woman
🏝 ecologist currently studying wetland trees
✊🏼 here for restorative justice and environmental health!#QueerInSTEM #DiversityInSTEM #WomenInSTEM
♥💛💚💙💜 pic.twitter.com/rkEGlLQm35— K. LaCour-Conant (@klacourconant) February 1, 2018
#LGBTscience I am a bisexual neuroscientist, and my girlfriend is a parasitologist. I’m most interested in non-academic careers, especially in STEM Diversity Education Outreach. “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re scientists”
— Morganism (@morgzem) February 1, 2018
I am humbled that my thread on LGBT visibility in academia has (indirectly) created a whole movement of posts highlighting LGBT scientists with #LGBTscience. Check out the hashtag to see some awesome people. https://t.co/FGCj9DiCTI
— David Ottenheimer (@djottenheimer) February 1, 2018
Queer Palestinian stem cell scientist here..focusing on avoiding heteronormative practices for 20yrs #LGBTScience pic.twitter.com/1fvCr2fDEe
— Jacob (يعقوب) Hanna (@jacob_hanna) February 2, 2018
#LGBTscience is a great idea! I’m Joby, I’m a bisexual chemist/physicist and I’m a postdoc at @NASAJPL in California, where I’m working on SHERLOC, a life-hunting spectrometer that’s going on the Mars 2020 rover.
— Joby Hollis 🏳️🌈🇪🇺 (@Jobium) January 31, 2018
