Beyond Alan Turing: bringing LGBTQ+ role models into STEM
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Often, when you ask people if they know any LGBTQ+ people in STEM, Alan Turing is the only name they can give. While Turing was an accomplished computer scientist and a significant figure in British history, his persecution casts a shadow over his story.
Even more than 20 years after the repeal of Section 28 of the UK’s Local Government Act 1988, which banned local authorities and schools from “promoting homosexuality”, the LGBTQ+ identities of STEM professionals have not been written back into their stories.
However, LGBTQ+ people have always been present and making important contributions in STEM fields, despite an inability to live openly owing to societal invisibility and the absence of language to express themselves.
In the arts and humanities, discussions around the identities of academics seem more common. In STEM, we tend to keep work and identity very separate, considering research, discoveries and science to be pure facts, independent of the person who made the discovery.
Despite this tendency, it would be difficult to find science students unfamiliar with Crick, Einstein and Haber. We uphold role models of a certain type, perpetuating the idea of STEM fields belonging to straight, white, cis men. And in some cases, we actively avoid discussing the controversial views or actions of some scientists.
We know that a lack of representation leads to a lack of motivation and a belief that people may not “fit into” a certain field. For that reason, it is important to recognise and highlight LGBTQ+ identities in STEM. This point is especially pertinent if LGBTQ+ people can effectively “pass” as straight – the declaration of sexual identities at work has long been recognised as being highly dependent on how supportive workplaces are perceived to be. Why come out and potentially act as a role model in your field, if you think your sexuality or identity will be viewed negatively?
‘But I don’t know any LGBTQ+ STEM role models’
Finding minority representation can be challenging, especially if you don’t know where to look. There are many LGBTQ+ charities that are looking to “usualise” LGBTQ+ identities. This moves the conversation away from providing positive LGBTQ+ role models to the teaching that LGBTQ+ identities are just one aspect of a person. PRISM Exeter ran a Queer Science Competition, which asked students across south-west England to discover LGBTQ+ people from STEM fields. Entrants submitted a short essay or video that champions someone who inspires them.
A selection of these entrants has since been developed into resources primarily aimed at secondary schools to highlight some scientists and mathematicians championed in the entries. These offer an easy way to integrate LGBTQ+ identities into the curriculum, spotlighting trans evolutionary biologist Joan Roughgarden, trans neurobiologist Ben Barres, gay mathematician Ron Buckmire, lesbian astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala, bisexual GP Hannah Barham-Brown, and lesbian astronaut Sally Ride.
- Using primary sources to tell queer histories
- University administrators can and must act to nurture LGBTQ leaders
- Ways to improve the equitable inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in research and higher education
Champion queer role models
When role models are scarce, it is important to highlight the ones that we have. This can be challenging, toeing a line between ensuring students do not miss what you are trying to highlight, and becoming tokenistic. It is a delicate balance, but if you were to provide any information about a cis heterosexual scientist (perhaps by mentioning Charles Darwin’s wife), you can do the same for LGBTQ+ scientists. We can make certain characteristics visible by including a picture of the person for whom the theorem is named. However, many non-visible differences such as sexuality, disability, religion and so on, may need to be spoken.
Choosing journal club articles from a diverse range of authors is a good way to introduce scientists and engineers into the curriculum. A large number of, but not all, queer academics are involved in LGBTQ+ activism. Featuring this side of their career alongside their research can be a way to introduce this into teaching and present a holistic view of researchers.
Highlighting LGBTQ+ role models does not have to be done only within teaching sessions. You can display posters created by different community groups. We did this with posters generated from the PRISM Queer Science competition.
Perhaps the most accessible role models are those that already work within your department. Sharing your identity can put academics in a vulnerable position, but from personal experience, students appreciate this. Creating an environment where LGBTQ+ staff feel empowered to be themselves and be visible is paramount to improving representation and creating the next generation of role models.
Eleanor M. Townsend is a lecturer in biomedical sciences; Claire L. Davies is a senior lecturer in physics and astronomy; Andrew M. Griffiths is a senior lecturer in biosciences, all at the University of Exeter.
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