Today on 18 November, we celebrate International Day of LGBTQIA+ People in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
The day also highlights the work and barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ people in STEM. The date was recently changed from July to November. The new date is symbolic of the 60th anniversary of American Astronomer and gay activist Frank Kameny’s US Supreme Court fight against workplace discrimination.
This fight continues today, not only in the US but in so many other countries worldwide. Among their many struggles, 28% of LGBTQ+ people have at some point considered leaving their jobs because of a hostile workplace or discrimination towards them, according to Pride In STEM. Shockingly, one in three physicists in America are urged to stay in the closet to progress in their career.
Additionally, half of transgender or gender non-conforming physicists have been harassed in their own departments, according to another survey carried out by the American Physical Society. So it’s no wonder that LGBTQ+ students are less likely to follow an academic career. As well as these statistics, “we need to add the additional barriers and issues specific to other underrepresented groups, which create a much bigger challenge for people with intersectional identities”, points out Pride in STEM.
VIRTUAL EVENT
The barriers and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people in STEM are just some of the issues that Pride in STEM will tackle today at its virtual conference. This year, LGBTQ+ STEM Day Virtual Conference is welcoming four leading, international members of the LGTBQ+ STEM community to share their thoughts on motivations and challenges in their work in and beyond STEM.
Click here for more information or to register.
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