LGBTQ+ People Changing the World Through STEM: Celebrating Pride 2021
Although in many ways the world has become a more accepting place in recent years, we still have a long way to go to improve representation and equality for LGBTQ+ people around the world, particularly in STEM. LGBTQ+ STEM professionals face many challenges in the workplace, such as inadequate career resources and opportunities, social exclusion, and health and well-being difficulties [1]. Therefore, it is important to recognise and support LGBTQ+ people in STEM who are making a positive impact and striving towards equality.
So in order to celebrate the end of Pride month, we would like to take the time to celebrate some inspiring LGBTQ+ people in STEM!
Rochelle Diamond
Figure 1 - Rochelle Diamond. Credit: Caltech.
Rochelle Diamond (she/her) is a lesbian and research biologist at the California Institute of Technology, specialising in cell separation and analysis [2]. In 1978, Rochelle was involved in the research team that cloned the synthetic human gene for insulin [3], but unfortunately, she lost her job, as her co-worker discovered she was a lesbian and subsequently tried to sabotage her lab experiments [4]. Rochelle has since become an active LGBTQ+ activist, including her role as chair of National Organisation of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) [4], a group that connects LGBTQ+ students and professionals in STEM fields and helps to protect their rights.
Rochelle Diamond (Fig. 1) believes we need more diversity and inclusion in STEM. In her words, “scientists and engineers are more productive when they can be themselves” and therefore she is heavily involved in LGBTQ+ activism [4].
Dr Izzy Jayasinghe
Figure 2 - Dr Izzy Jayasinghe. Credit: Izzy Jayasinghe.
Dr Izzy Jayasinghe (she/her) is a senior lecturer at the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Sheffield in the UK [5]. Her research aims to simplify microscopy technology, so it is more readily available to scientists dealing with a range of issues.
While working at the University of Leeds, Izzy (Fig. 2) was able to find a community of transgender people and with the support of these friends, was able to come out as a transgender woman [6].
Since then, she has advocated for LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality in STEM. She joined TigerinSTEMM in 2019, a group involved in improving equality in UK education [7]. She also spoke at the 2019 LGBTQ+ STEMinar, with her talk “Finding solace in STEM'', which gave a personal reflection of her life [8].
Kemi Oloyede
Figure 3 - Kemi Oloyede. Credit: Kemi Oloyede.
Until the beginning of the pandemic, Kemi Oloyede (they/she) worked as an analytical chemist and toxicologist, where they would analyse drugs in biological samples [9].
Since April they have been working as a freelance digital artist, inspired by the LGBTQ+ Community, their Nigerian heritage and working in STEM [10].
Kemi (Fig. 3) founded Creatives in STEM, where they celebrate the intersection between STEM and creative arts. Currently, they are working on a sci-art collection that will be released this year [10].
Professor Tom Welton
Figure 4: Professor Tom Welton. Credit: Tom Welton.
Tom Welton (he/him) is a Professor of Sustainable Chemistry at Imperial College London, where his research focuses on ionic liquids, and in particular, their use in creating more sustainable alternatives to plastic [11]. He is an active promoter of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (which he gave a fantastic talk about at our 2020 Youth STEM Summit!) and the responsibility of chemists in achieving them, for which he advocates for a ‘four pillar approach’, consisting of education, regulation, innovation and circular economy [12].
Tom (Fig. 4) champions diversity and inclusion in STEM, including as a member of UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion External Advisory Group [13]. He is an openly gay scientist who is from a working class background [14], and in recognition of his work to make STEM a more welcoming place for everyone, Prof Welton was awarded an OBE in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to diversity and education [15].
In 2019, Tom was elected as the President of the Royal Society of Chemistry - a role which he commenced in July 2020 [16].
Dr Ronx Ikharia
Figure 5 - Dr Ronx Ikharia. Credit: Independent 360.
Best known for presenting the children’s TV show Operation Ouch, Dr Ronx Ikharia (they/them) is an emergency medicine doctor and TV presenter [17]. Since filming their first series of Operation Ouch, Dr Ronx (Fig. 5) has went on to present several other TV programmes, including BBC Three’s The Unshockable Dr Ronx - which focussed on young people’s reluctance to go to their GP/doctor - and Channel 4’s documentaries Is Covid Racist? and Are Women the Fitter Sex? [17-20].
Dr Ronx self-funded their way through medical school following a ‘difficult’ upbringing, and as a non-binary trans person, their motto is “you cannot be what you do not see” [17]. Dr Ronx is an active amplifier of young people’s voices and volunteers their time to inspire and mentor young people, particularly in their local area of Hackney (London, UK) [21, 22].
In June 2021, Dr Ronx was selected from 5,000 nominations to be recognised at number 31 on the 2021 Pride Power List [23].
Dr Lauren Esposito
Figure 6 - Dr Lauren Esposito. Credit: Dr Lauren Esposito.
Dr Lauren Esposito (she/they) is the Schlinger Curator of Arachnology at the California Academy of Sciences where she studies scorpions, and in particular, their evolution and geographical distribution in the Carribean [24]. Alongside their fascinating work to document new species (which add to the 2,200 already documented scorpion species! [24]), Lauren’s research seeks to use patterns from the past to combat the present biodiversity decline and conserve species for the future [25, 26].
As the first and only queer curator at California Academy of Sciences, Dr Esposito (Fig. 6) identified the need for a community and safe space for LGBTQ+ people in STEM [26, 27]. Inspired by her involvement in organising an event with 500 Women Scientists, she founded 500 Queer Scientists in 2018, which initially launched by sharing the stories of 50 queer people in STEM [27]. Since then, 500 Queer Scientists has grown from a campaign to a vibrant community, and has featured the stories of 1,500 LGBTQ+ scientists from around the world [26, 28].
In addition, Lauren’s passion for science education and public engagement extends to their role as Co-Founder of the education non-profit, Islands and Seas, which is creating field stations worldwide to provide research facilities to scientists working in the area, as well as acting as centres for scientific and environmental education [29, 30].
Dr Devyani Singh
Figure 7 - Dr Devyani Singh. Credit: 500 Queer Scientists.
After starting her career in corporate finance, Dr. Devyani Singh (she/her) was inspired by the magnitude and importance of global climate change. She then changed her career path in the hopes of enabling a just transition to a low carbon future [31] and completed her Ph.D in Energy and Climate Policy at the University of British Columbia [32]. She has dedicated her time and effort to encouraging evidence-based decision making while actively engaging with policy makers and the public.
Devyani’s (Fig. 7) research projects concern various topics under the umbrella of energy and climate policy [31]. Her work includes collaborating with the Indian Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in order to improve their national policy for clean cooking access to 80 million households in India. She then helped develop estimates of their policy’s impact on climate change. She also developed a sustainable forestry initiative with the First Nations in Bella Coola, British Columbia.
However, her many accomplishments have not come without obstacles. As a queer woman of colour, she has not been spared from various racist and homophobic incidents. Regardless, she continues to strive for an equitable society and green future [32].
Robin Aguilar
Figure 8 - Robin Aguilar. Credit: Riley Miller, via https://www.robinaguilar.com/.
Robin Aguilar (they/them/elle) is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Washington. Their area of study is Genome Sciences, where they develop software tools to study and image satellite DNA. Beyond their work in the sciences, they actively work to make STEM and genomics more accessible to everyone by sharing their experiences via writing, and creating art. Robin recently published a paper titled “Breaking the binary by coming out as a trans scientist” [33].
However, Robin (Fig. 8) has shared that imagining a future for themselves in genomics was difficult because of the lack of role models that shared their experiences that had thrived as scientists. To combat this, Robin founded the Genome Sciences Association for the Inclusion of Marginalized Students. They were able to do so with the help of a team of student leaders and with financial support from their Ph.D programme. Their aim is to support members' scientific and personal aspirations by offering community, mentorship and visibility through social events and workshops that tackle personal-development in the Department of Genome Sciences [34]. Their work as an advocate and mentor for other queer and trans people of colour in STEM has not gone unnoticed.
Dr Michael L. Hendricks
Figure 9 - Dr Michael L. Hendricks. Credit: Washington Psychological Center, P.C.
Dr Michael L. Hendricks (he/him) is a clinician, researcher and Fellow of the American Psychological Association. He began his career in the midst of the HIV-AIDS crisis, which has instilled in him a determination to create a rigorous scientific basis for addressing LGBTQ+ issues. As a result, Hendricks (Fig. 9) has been involved in studies of the experiences and healthcare needs of transgender individuals. He helped develop the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People. He also worked on the 2005-2006 Virginia Transgender Health Information Study, which found that transgender individuals had higher rates of suicide ideation and attempts than any other population examined to that point. For Michael, this was a call to action, which encouraged him to create tools for therapists to work more effectively with transgender clients [35]. In 2015, Michael was awarded the APA Presidential Citation Award for his critical work on behalf of transgender and other gender nonconforming individuals [36].
Dr Hendricks has shown that an effective way to inspire change in the face of discrimination is through research and science. Trangender and gender nonconforming individuals will continue to benefit from his tireless work in the field of psychology.
Although Pride Month is now over, we must continue to uplift LGBTQ+ individuals making a difference through STEM! With better representation, queer people around the world will become more accepted and included, as well as allowing STEM to become more diverse.
References:
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