Episode 11: LGBTQ+ Community in STEM Fields

Meg:

Hi Everyone! This month Eshaan and I sat down for a more conversational episode about the LGBTQ+ community in STEM fields. I absolutely loved doing this episode, especially because there was no script, making the conversation feel very genuine and authentic. I think being able to listen to what Eshaan had to say and building conversations around each other’s comments was so much more insightful and offered a lot more perspective in our episode. This topic is one that Eshaan and I are so passionate about and are so happy we were able to learn more about it. I think something really important that we talked about was visibility and representation for the LGBTQ+ community in STEM fields. It was heartbreaking to me to learn about the fact that people are being driven away from their passions and love of science for fear that they will be mistreated in a work environment. I was so happy to find organizations and conferences like the LGBTQ+ and STEMinar conferences to be raising awareness and education for people of all kinds. Educating ourselves and working towards ending this inequality is something I hope we all take very seriously. Not only promoting inclusivity, but practicing it is something we as a society need to keep on progressing!

Eshaan:

This episode is definitely one of my favorite episodes. For this episode, Meg and I made it more conversational instead of just stating facts. I felt that this definitely enhanced our episode because for the first time, I was able to hear Meg’s thoughts on this topic. Listening to what she thought helped me see a different perspective and also deepen my understanding on LGBTQ+ people in the STEM Field. When researching this topic, I was shocked to see how low the numbers were. I always thought that the STEM field was an inclusive field like others. However, when researching I also found organizations that are working to diversify the STEM field. Organizations such as the Queer Science Organization are working to enact change. Queer Science was created by queer people for queers to promote visibility and let high school students explore a wide range of STEM-related disciplines. This is a really powerful organization because it encourages LGBTQ+ people to pursue a career in the STEM field. Even though the numbers of LGBTQ+ people in STEM fields are low, organizations such as Queer Science are working to change this and diversify the STEM field.