From Pride in STEM : LGBTQIA+ STEM Day is a day to celebrate and highlight the work and barriers of LGBTQIA+ people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Carnegie Science Center recognizes the contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community to STEM fields, acknowledges the obstacles and oppression historically faced by members of this community, and reaffirms our belief that STEM is for everyone!
Stay tuned for more information about the on-site activities for this celebratory day!
What is LGBTQIA+ STEM Day all about?
From Pride in Stem : “Among their many struggles, we see that 28% of LGBT+ people have at some point considered leaving their jobs because of a hostile workplace or discrimination towards them. 2o% of trans people had often considered leaving. One in three physicists in America has been urged to stay in the closet to progress in their career. Half of the transgender or gender non-conforming physicists were harassed in their own departments. Gay and bisexual students are less likely to follow an academic career.
To these statistics, we need to add barriers and issues specific to other underrepresented groups, which create a much bigger challenge for people with intersectional identities.
The date is symbolic of the 60th anniversary of American Astronomer and gay activist Frank Kameny’s US Supreme Court fight against workplace discrimination. This is a fight that continues today, not only in the US but in so many other countries worldwide.
We hope that LGBTQIA+ STEM Day comes to represent all the people who continue to make the world of STEM a better and more inclusive place!
What do all those letters mean?
LGBTQIA+ = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex & Asexual + other identities
From Acronyms Explained : “LGBTIQA+/LGBTQ+ – Adding a “+” to the acronym is an acknowledgment that there are non-cisgender and non-straight identities that are not included in the acronym. This is a shorthand or umbrella term for all people who have a non-normative gender identity or sexual orientation.”
Additional resources, information, and inspiration below.