Meet 3 LGBTQ+ Scientists Putting Pride in STEM
The world's scientists celebrated Pride in STEM Day on Friday, November 18. Pride in STEM is a nonprofit that runs events and activities together with an extensive network of worldwide volunteers in science-related fields.
With Pride in STEM, LGBTQ+ people's struggle in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is highlighted.First designated in 2020, the day also honors American astronomer and gay activist Frank Kameny, and recognizes the anniversary of Kameny’s U.S.
Supreme Court fight against workplace discrimination. The scientist has been called the "grandfather of gay rights."“Kameny was working in Hawaii and was sent to Washington, D.C., in 1957 and ordered to report to the Pentagon, because the Defense Department had reason to believe he was gay,” historian Eric Cervini told The Advocate earlier this year. “And after a series of really humiliating interviews, Kameny, like countless other gay men and women before him, was dismissed from his government job; however, unlike others, Kameny fought back.”But even today LGBTQ+ people say they face workplace hostility and discrimination."When I was in undergrad, my first brushes with odd encounters in terms of being queer and [others] realizing that, was especially [prevalent in] more tech bro circles," University of Chicago computer sciences Ph.D.
student Jas Brooks tells The Advocate.Brooks studies the intersection of technology — more specifically, wearable tech — and human sensory experiences. "I focus on essentially developing ways for the computer to interface with our chemical senses or how we interact chemically with our bodies," they say.
