Elena Long argues that more needs to be done to support physicists who are sexual and gender minorities
Physicists who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or who belong to other sexual and gender minorities (LGBT+) often find that being LGBT+ is incompatible with being a physicist, adding to a growing sense of isolation within the community. For those of us who do bring it up among our peers, we are immediately put on the spot with questions ranging from “Why do you have to talk about it?” and “What does that have to do with science?” to “Isn’t physics progressive and thus there are no problems for LGBT+ people?” We’re even warned that we’ll be labelled “the queer physicist” and that being honest about who we are is likely to hurt our career.
The issues that face LGBT+ people in physics also keep young LGBT+ people from pursuing the subject further. The US Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network found in a 2013 survey that less than half of LGBT+ primary and secondary education students feel safe at school, causing many of them to skip classes and hurt their chances of going on to higher education. According to the Williams Institute – a think tank based at the University of California, Los Angeles – around 40% of young homeless people in the US are LGBT+, despite them making up only about 4% of the population. Meanwhile, a joint survey by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality in 2011 found that 41% of transgender people in the US have attempted suicide.
Since 2010 my colleagues and I have been building a community of sexual and gender minorities in physics – lgbt+physicists – to address the issues we face. There has been a common theme among our new members: before finding a community of LGBT+ physicists, they thought they were alone. Not only that, but they did not have anyone to talk to when they ran into issues such as employment discrimination. These issues include insurance policies that do not cover same-sex relationships or transgender-related healthcare, the effects of a same-sex relationship on the “two-body problem” and how migrating to another state or country that does not recognize their rights plays into career searches.
When we feel alone, each of these issues feels like it is specific to us as a single person and it is only by coming together as a community that we have been able to start piecing together the systemic issues consistently faced by LGBT+ people in physics. Together with the American Astronomical Society’s Working Group on LGBTIQ Equality, we have put together a best-practice guide that lays out specific actions that can be taken within a department and the university community to make physics a more welcoming environment for LGBT+ people. For example, we encourage physics faculty members to use gender-neutral and inclusive language, create safe spaces within a department, be open to name changes for job and tenure applicants, and participate in surveys exploring LGBT+ experiences.
We have also put together an “out list” for LGBT+ physicists and allies to publicly affirm the right for all physicists to pursue their scientific work in a safe and supportive environment that is free from prejudice and discrimination. By including contact information, the list has helped students who have been unsure about how to disclose their identity to connect with people who are understanding and have themselves been encouraged to stay within the field.
Support is also growing among other organizations. In October 2014 the American Physical Society (APS) formed a committee to identify areas where the society can help to improve the wellbeing of physicists, including looking at the needs of LGBT+ physicists. The Institute of Physics, which publishes Physics World, has begun work looking at the issues that affect the LGBT+ community. There is also a US organization called Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, which supports students by identifying, addressing and advocating for their needs. With these organizations, there is now a community of LGBT+ physicists that extends from undergraduates to senior scientists that did not exist five years ago. We are beginning to see the first generation of LGBT+ scientists who do not feel the need to keep their identities separate from their lives as physicists.
Yet there is still a lot of work to be done. By coming together as a community, we have been able to identify a number of issues that we commonly face, but we are a long way from fixing them. Of the 4140 colleges and universities in the US, only 36 include transgender-related healthcare for their employees. Although national organizations such as the APS are becoming more inclusive towards LGBT+ physicists, this often does not trickle down to university or laboratory level, where many are still forced to hide that they are LGBT+ for fear of discrimination and hostility from co-workers.
Not only are we losing out on many extremely talented young people, but for those of us who are LGBT+ and have succeeded in physics, our communities inside and outside of academia are constantly hurting and in need. The work towards full acceptance of LGBT+ people, both in physics and in society, requires each of us to learn about the barriers that exist for LGBT+ people and to begin removing them. Through our efforts and through our community, we can make physics more welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
