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GLBT and STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics)

Cryonium

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How manty gay men and lesbians, bi people and transexuals r actually in a STEM field? do u luv it? R any of u open? R U accepted or discriminated? What kind of subject r u doing chemistry, biology, astronomy, computer science, engeineering, mathematics? how would you compare a stem career to a career in the arts, like tthe film industry, cosmetology, or theatre etc. please do tell:D
 
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ygolo

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I posted a similar thread about gender bias. Nobody seemed to care. I don't know why that is. I thought there would be more of a response.

My feeling is that the prevailing attitude in STEM is that identity doesn't matter, only the work produced.

This can be a double edged sword because calling out bias can trigger a bad reaction among individuals who pride themselves on finding and rooting out bias. I would hope, however, that the initial sting to pride would be short lived.

As an engineer, I knew one gay man and one lesbian who outed themselves. I'm not sure how many were closeted. I believe, asexuals are relatively more common in STEM than other fields.

I have actually seen more of a diversity of ethnicities and socioeconomics in STEM as compared with English or Philosophy. I am not sure about sexuality, however.
 

Winds of Thor

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I posted a similar thread about gender bias. Nobody seemed to care. I don't know why that is. I thought there would be more of a response.

My feeling is that the prevailing attitude in STEM is that identity doesn't matter, only the work produced.

This can be a double edged sword because calling out bias can trigger a bad reaction among individuals who pride themselves on finding and rooting out bias. I would hope, however, that the initial sting to pride would be short lived.

As an engineer, I knew one gay man and one lesbian who outed themselves. I'm not sure how many were closeted. I believe, asexuals are relatively more common in STEM than other fields.

I have actually seen more of a diversity of ethnicities and socioeconomics in STEM as compared with English or Philosophy. I am not sure about sexuality, however.

Because why not compare meteorology to endocrinology.
 

skylights

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I posted a similar thread about gender bias. Nobody seemed to care. I don't know why that is. I thought there would be more of a response.

I remember that thread. You probably didn't get any response because it was a series of links without any post-discussion. No offense meant at all. It was just a lot of work required to participate in the thread without much of a "hook" to get us interested nor much commentary in the OP to bounce off of. Plus it's a pretty wide topic. At least personally, my subjective experience is all I have to share. I was hoping for someone else with a more informed opinion to get the discussion started.

Anyway. I've done a stint in marine bio and conservation, and I felt pretty well-respected and treated equally, but moreso in small communities and less so in academia, where older white men ruled. I feel like my (bi)sexuality is relatively irrelevant in the STEM fields - though it sometimes seems the more I can get away from being classically feminine, the more seriously men will listen to my opinions.
 

Elocute

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I'm gay and am in STEM fields; I don't see a particular effect on it. Still seen as a recluse, detatched, intellectually curious, "smart", and nerdy by most. Just queer gets tagged along :shrug:

Also, I think you're right: STEM people generally are "of the mind" types who don't give a fuck about sexuality etc so long as you can muster good conversation. If anything (as I have always been out), they approach that part of me with the same curiosity they'd approach a new equation. How does that work? basically but with a more humanistic slant. In this case, they tend to be more 'prying' (especially the ENTPs..sorry) because their curiosity overrides their tact--but I'm still treated as an equal/regular just with more questions (I prefer questions to aspersions). If anything, I've found it to me more of an issue among non-STEM people.
 

gromit

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In my office of about 12 people, there was one gay man, all the rest straight men and women. Civil engineering.
 

Randomnity

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just as a heads up "tranny" is generally considered to be an offensive slur, you might want to replace that word in your vocabulary (transgender/transsexual is the usual term).

I'm not GLBT but I do work in STEM (medical research) and my peers and supervisors are very LGBT-friendly. Mind you, I'm in Canada, so we're all pretty LGBT-friendly compared to the states. Still, I think scientists tend to focus on the facts rather than the person, and we tend to be less religious than the average, which probably helps a lot. Not that all religious people hate the gays by any means, but I can't imagine why a non-religious person would.
 
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