Hello ocean science, technology, engineering, and math readers. I need your help.
I’m writing an analysis on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) composition in the ocean sciences and am finding it difficult to quantify demographics in this regard. The NOGLSTP demographics breakdown seems to include ocean sciences in both physical and life sciences. But what about representation in engineering and math as well? Unfortunately, there is no deeper drill-down of the data that I can access.
This survey is intended for any LGBT professionals who are working in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas affiliated with the ocean.
Please respond to this survey only if you are LGBT.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
Got Twitter? Feel free to share the following Tweet:
LGBT in any ocean STEM disciplines? Contribute to an anonymous/confidential survey: http://lgbtoceanstem.blogspot.com/
All identities will remain confidential in my analysis. And keep checking back here at DSN for the results from my survey.
Thanks again and feel free to share this survey invitation!
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I know a few LGBT scientists, but not in ocean/marine science. I’m in ecoology/animal behavior so that’s my angle.
Perhaps in a second round of surveys we could cast a wider net. Maybe fellow LGBT scientists know others from other disciplines. Like 6 degrees of freedom.
Ooh… My spider senses are tingling for a potential session at SciOnline11 on the Online Closet!
Does that mean you getting responses?
I know several folks involved in informal marine education who are LGBT. I do not know what STEM is, and a Google search only brings up other links to this survey. I’m guessing that means I don’t qualify, but on the off-chance that I do, you might consider dropping the acronym to cast a wider net.
Good point, Gary!
Science
Technology
Engineering
Math
Rick,
Besides myself, there were two other GLBT at BML. One was a summer post-doctoral fellow who studied echinoderm development and the other was an ecology graduate student (he started as I left). And, you, of course. At SFSU, I was the only one. At UT, I was also the only one. I have never met an out GLBT in marine biology/oceanography even though I have studied such on both coasts and the Gulf and attended many meetings. Maybe my propensity to wear glitter and pink scared them away.
As we discussed last month over beer, I am not in an ocean-based STEM field anymore for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is the homophobia and discrimination I experienced in the field from undergraduate to graduate. An indirect aspect of institutional discrimination, is that I refused to move to states were my legally recognized relationship would no longer be recognized. This limited my search for post-docs to about 6 states at that time (CA, OR, CT, MA, VT, NJ). Although I applied for many positions, I did not successfully land one. This radically changed my career track.
I do plan on eventually returning to aquatic/marine biology at the new institution as a PI, so maybe in about 5-6 yrs, I can once again be counted amongst the ocean STEM category.
Ooops!
The above should say:
“I have never met an out GLBT FACULTY in marine biology/oceanography even though I have studied such on both coasts and the Gulf and attended many meetings.”
Thanks for your response! If you can reach out to those few that you do know it would greatly help the survey, and Rick to get the most accurate assessment.
I’ve never met her, but Joan Roughgarden is a faculty member at Stanford, and is transgendered. Other than Dr. Roughgarden I am not aware of any LGBT faculty members either – though it is possible that the topic just never came up.
Dr. Glitterbear said “I do plan on eventually returning to aquatic/marine biology at the new institution as a PI, so maybe in about 5-6 yrs, I can once again be counted amongst the ocean STEM category.”
i’ll welcome you back to team ocean with pink banners and glitter confetti when that day comes! till then, enjoy being a closet, er, i mean stealth ocean science queer!