Our November meeting focused on how to encourage greater engagement and support for the LGBTQIA+ community within the sciences. Participants shared ideas and challenges around visibility, support, and fostering inclusive environments for queer scientists.

A note on language: LGBTQIA+ will be shortened to LGBT for the rest of this post for brevity. This is simply to keep the content concise, and it is not intended to exclude any identities within the community. We recognize and respect the full diversity of sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions, and are committed to inclusivity in all discussions and initiatives.

Key Discussion Points:

1. How can we encourage LGBT engagement?
   Participants said that having visible and verbal support, in the form of openly out faculty/mentors and messages and actions of affirmation from peers and leadership, would make a more welcoming environment for LGBT people. Further, having inclusive LGBT oriented events, particularly some which are not focused on undergraduates, ensuring that graduate students, postdocs, and faculty are also included. Participants also discussed how many LGBT groups, particularly those focused on graduate students, are inactive and that there’s a challenge in maintaining momentum for these initiatives, especially when funding is scarce.
2. Supporting and retaining LGBT scientists
   Participants noted that some members of the scientific community at Penn State still exhibit discriminatory behavior, making it harder to retain queer scientists. More visible actions are needed to show genuine support for queer scientists while avoiding “rainbow washing” (superficial support for LGBT individuals without real commitment to change).
3. Conflicts in self-perception and identity
   Many in the community want to feel that they are not discriminatory, but all people carry some biases, including ones that they are often not aware of (“implicit bias”). Acknowledging these biases is key to fostering a more inclusive environment. Some participants discussed how LGBT individuals may feel tension between their personal and scientific identities, which can affect their engagement and comfort in the field.
4. Visibility of LGBT scientists
   While visibility is important and desired by LGBT trainees, it places a heavy burden on faculty with already marginalized identities. The Rainbow Science Network (RSN) may be a way for faculty to express their support for LGBT scientists, and it offers training for faculty on how to support queer trainees. However, the RSN is not well-known among graduate students, so this outward support may not be recognized for what it is.
5. Difficulties in motivating change
   Simply presenting data is often insufficient to drive change. Participants discussed how, despite ample data on the inequities for women in STEM, for example, progress has been slow. Building community is crucial for retention and long-term engagement.

Actionable Items:

1. Training on inclusive mentorship for faculty
   Incorporating case studies and role-playing exercises about mentoring LGBT trainees into faculty meetings can help address LGBT issues and encourage more active support. Relevant case studies are available through the Mentor Training Program from UCSF. Further mentorship resources are available through the Rainbow Science Network or the Entering Mentoring curricula from CIMER.
2. Organizing LBGTQIA+ events focused on graduate students
   Organizing events focused on LGBT graduate students through partnerships with science-focused graduate student organizations and fostering community-building events for graduate students and science faculty and staff are all necessary steps toward creating a more inclusive environment.