Practical LGBTQ+ allyship within STEMM
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The UK’s score on Europe’s Rainbow Map – ranking countries based on policies and laws affecting LGBTI rights from 0 per cent (gross violations of human rights, discrimination) to 100 per cent (respect of human rights, full equality) – has declined every year for the past decade. This highlights the worsening climate for LGBTQ+ individuals living and working in the UK.
This year’s LGBT+ History Month theme is ”science and innovation”. Yet, despite their contributions, LGBTQ+ people working in the core STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and medicine too (STEMM), face exclusion and harassment in the workplace.
A sense of exclusion – if left unchallenged – freely permeates. With debates around the extent of freedom of speech, gender critical feminism as a “belief” in the Equality Act 2010, and the legal definition of “sex” – and their combined implications – adding fuel to the fire, practical allyship needs to be just as loud as the hostility it seeks to counter.
The importance of language
Even seemingly benign interactions can be nerve-wracking and mentally draining for LGBTQ+ individuals. Allyship means demonstrating gender neutrality in written and spoken language, and listening actively to ensure we mirror the terms LGBTQ+ colleagues and students use.
If someone refers to their “partner” in a conversation, it should be no more appropriate to jump to conclusions by using terms such as “husband”, “wife”, “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” than it would be to use “cat”, “dog”, “hamster” or “guinea pig” when someone refers to their “pet”. However, “what’s your partner’s name?” or “what kind of pet do you have?” would be reasonable follow-up questions that demonstrate active listening.
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Going further, offering your own pronouns during verbal introductions is an effective way of demonstrating your LGBTQ+ allyship. It normalises the diversity of gender identities and expressions, and provides an opportunity for people to define how they wish to be seen. Stating one’s pronouns in written communications – such as in email signatures – encourages others to do so, helping to prevent misgendering individuals with names that may be unfamiliar or used across different genders.
Wearables and workspace adornments
Many workplaces have adopted rainbow lanyards, but their effectiveness at demonstrating LGBTQ+ allyship depends on how they are rolled out. To increase their impact, workplaces should require potential wearers to make a pledge towards allyship, rather than simply make them available without any explicit mention of their purpose or relevance to LGBTQ+ communities. One should also be aware of historical occasions where clothing has been used to signify difference – for example the pink triangles sewn to the shirts of gay prisoners of concentration camps – to appreciate why not everyone views wearables favourably.
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s LGBT+ toolkit has a range of posters available to download. Items like these demonstrate and reinforce cultural expectations of allyship and inclusion within a workplace.
Advocacy, done right
For things to change, the responsibility should not be placed solely on those affected. At the same time, allyship should be conducted with a community and not for it. As an ally, you are not expected to be an expert on what people need. Instead, you should use best-practice guidance or consult with LGBTQ+ individuals in your context to inform your actions.
For instance, travel and fieldwork are part and parcel of a large portion of STEMM research, but relocation (however temporary) away from, or between, known safe environments can be of concern or even dangerous for LGBTQ+ individuals. A team at the University of Leeds recently published guidance for supporting LGBTQ+ researchers conducting fieldwork and Stonewall’s Safe Travels Guide provides tips on supporting LGBTQ+ employees before and during international travel.
You should not feel like you have to act alone. As coordinators of PRISM Exeter – a network for LGBTQ+ STEMM professionals and students in Southwest England – we can heartily recommend reaching out to and collaborating with local Pride groups, LGBTQ+ switchboard charities and LGBTQ+ educational charities. A growing number of organisations also focus on supporting LGBTQ+ individuals across the STEMM sector. For example, Pride in STEM, oSTEM, the LGBT+ Physical Sciences Network, the Queer Equality and Diversity (QED) Network for Maths, EqualEngineers, and the Proud Science Alliance.
This advice is not intended to provide a one-stop shop to LGBTQ+ inclusion, as individual experience is complicated by intersections between LGBTQ+ identities and other aspects such as ethnicity, disability and social class. However, by taking steps to foster an inclusive environment, you can create psychologically safe environments to support LGBTQ+ staff and students working and studying in STEMM courses, helping to pave the way for the innovation celebrated in future LGBT+ History Months.
Claire L. Davies is a senior lecturer in physics and astronomy; Eleanor M. Townsend is a lecturer in biomedical sciences; Andrew M. Griffiths is a senior lecturer in biosciences, all at the University of Exeter.
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