UC’s Queer Climate Scientists on Making Science as Diverse as the Nature World

Jun 8, 2023 | Robyn Schelenz, University of California
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Honoring the gay and trans folks that participated in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, June Pride is a celebration of the diverse identities that make up the LGBTQ+ community.

While we may honor Pride in June, nature is celebrating all the time — as science increasingly shows, the natural world is a nonstop riot of identities, fluidity and adaptation, with diverse relationships we are only beginning to understand. For many LGBTQ scientists, the diversity and resiliency of the world they study provides inspiration all year long; it’s even prompted the growth of an emerging field, queer ecology.

But the reality of being a queer scientist is not always easy. A 2018 study showed that LGBTQ students are more likely to drop out of STEM career pathways than their straight peers. LGBTQ professionals in STEM are also 30 percent more likely to experience workplace harassment compared with their non-LGBTQ peers.

What is it like to be an LGBTQ scientist, studying our natural world? We asked faculty, students and alumni across UC about their experiences, the challenges they face, and the unique perspective being LGBTQ brings to their work.