This site is currently under construction. Email <anthony.edgington@bc.edu> with any suggestions or comments.

Welcome, All!

Let me introduce myself and share some information/resources we can use to include and support queer people in earth sciences and STEM.

I’m Tony — a queer/gay man who uses he/him/his pronouns.

Born and raised in a predominantly white, conservative, middle-class suburb of Houston, I was gifted the tremendous privileges of a good education, stable family, plethora of resources, and much more... except one thing: a sense of identity through representation.

For my entire life up until a couple years into college, I kept my queer identity entirely hidden. This lack of identity largely stemmed from my surroundings which were entirely of a hetero-normative structure. A vast majority of my hometown consisted of families of doctors, engineers, lawyers, and scientists — well-educated and successful people.

There was not one same-sex couple that I knew of or even saw in public in my hometown. As a result, I constantly questioned whether a gay, young man like myself would be able to obtain a higher education and hold a successful career in a professional/STEM field. The only queer representation I had was through media: movies, music, TV shows, news, social media, etc. In my coming-of-age, media representation of queer individuals was still sparse and biased. The queer people I saw were not highly-educated or career-oriented; they were bullied teenagers, theater actors, social-outcasts, artists, or some other archaic stereotype. They were not surgeons, clinical psychologists, CEOs, congressional members, renowned scientists, or university professors. Media is doing better at creating more equal representation now, but our work is far from done — we must foster equal, fair representation in all spheres of our professional and personal lives.

“We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference, and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity.”

— George Takei

Disclaimer!

I’ve created this page in an effort to increase transparency and representation of queer people in STEM. The information and resources provided on this page are meant as an introduction for readers to actively and intentionally think about the spaces (and significant lack thereof) queer folks occupy in STEM, comprehend the obstacles we face, understand our needs, and work towards making our work environments more inclusive and equitable. The content provided is not absolute or all-encompassing — it is up to you to use this information as a springboard for further educating yourself on these issues. As a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I’m still learning how to be supportive of my peers, and I implore you to keep growing as a member or ally of this community. Please contact me if you have any suggestions or comments, I’d be delighted to hear your feedback and learn how I can improve this page.

Why advocate #QueerInSTEM?

For visibility:

A survey conducted in 2013, published in 2016, found that more than 40% of LGBTQA-identified respondents working in STEM fields are not “out” to their colleagues.

For equality:

Up until very recently (June 2020), LGBTQIA+ workers could legally be discriminated against by employers in 28 states. Despite the Supreme Court finally ruling that the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination, applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, there is still systemic discrimination in the workplace that must be eradicated.

For justice:

“I believe that no one should ever have to choose between a career we love and living our lives with authenticity and integrity.”

— Selisse Berry, Out & Equal Executive Director

Some basics

Support our transgender/non-binary peers by using their pronouns. It’s the least we can do and easy to practice using these steps.

Source: @tai.draws (Instagram)

It’s not a “preferred name” or “preferred pronouns”, it’s their name and their pronouns (see linked steps in image caption)
The “A” in LGBTQIA+ does not stand for Ally, it stands for Asexual - let’s not marginalize and erase our asexual peers
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Non-binary, Pansexual, etc.
- You can’t just support one identity, you must support them all. You cannot support your lesbian sister but turn your back on your transgender brother. Lift up ALL queer people - an ally to just one is no better than an ally to none

More terminology and background

Pronouns:

Gender-Neutral Pronouns 101: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know. From how to use them to their surprising history, here are answers to your most common questions about gender-neutral pronouns.

More coming soon…