What is life like for people working in STEM? (Picture: Getty)
Ask anyone to mention a famous LGBTQIA+ scientist, and they’ll probably start off with Alan Turing, the incredible brains behind the Enigma machine that helped win World War Two.
Some may also mention Sally Ride, the first US woman in space.
Others may also be familiar with Ben Barres, the pioneering neuroscientist who transitioned in the 1990s.
But as many will know, Alan Turing was shockingly, and horrifically, chemically castrated in order to avoid prison on a charge of gross indecency for engaging in homosexual acts.
Sally Ride’s sexual orientation was only revealed posthumously.
And Ben Barres, in a letter to colleagues about his transitioning process, wrote: ‘This has been a difficult decision because I risk losing everything of importance to me: my reputation, my career, my friends and even my family.’
Sally Ride, the first US woman in space (Picture: AP)
But decades on, what is life like for the LGBTQIA+ community working in STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths), whether in the lab or out in the field?
Last Pride month, Metro.co.uk teamed up with New Scientist to ask people all over the world how they found life in the industry. The results offered a mix of hope for the future and concern for the present.
More than one in seven respondents said they had previously or were currently concealing their identity at work, often out of fear over how their colleagues would react.
One person said: ‘[There was a] hostile environment, [I] felt it would not be safe or sensible to be open. Even in my current position I am selective and tentative about revealing my sexuality although I am trying to be braver than I have been in the past.’
Another said: ‘I felt I won’t be accepted and supported. I have faced discrimination and racial slurs for my identity. I felt threatened.’
Alan Turing laid the foundations of modern computing (Picture: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
Others who have come out still suffered homophobic treatment.
‘I was unsure how colleagues would react, and management,’ said one respondent. ‘Previously I have heard homophobic jokes and remarks – even while being open with my sexuality – in my office space. I also work with a large number of international clients and I am unsure how they would react, so while I don’t hide my sexuality I also do not tend to be as open/transparent about it.’
Some have not faced such extreme harassment, but still find it difficult to be themselves.
‘It still feels uncomfortable to talk to colleagues about relationships if I’m currently in a relationship with a woman,’ said one person. ‘I always find myself using “they”, and if I ever slip up and say “she”, every single time the other person looks shocked and the conversation gets uncomfortable and ends quickly – which may be as I get uncomfortable myself – but conversations about being single are always about “finding me a man”, which makes it difficult to rebut, especially if it’s a more senior person.’
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Source:: Metro
