Cardiff University, GW4 and Prism Exeter celebrate Diversity and Inclusion for LGBTQ+ STEM Day 2020

By Wendy Sadler

LGBTQ+ STEM Day is an annual global event held to raise awareness of the barriers to inclusion in (and progression through) STEMM subjects and careers faced by individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+ (i.e. Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans/Trans+, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Ace/Agender or otherwise not cisgender and/or not straight). 

We often think of STEMM as a global sector but 45 countries criminalise male-male and female-female relationships, often with corporal punishment or death sentences; in over 50% of countries (including 28 US states), LGBTQ+ individuals may not be legally protected from workplace discrimination; 45% of LGBTQ+ school students (including 64% of Trans+ pupils) are bullied for being LGBTQ+ in Britain’s schools; undergraduate LGB+ students are less likely to be retained within STEM; and “out” STEM faculty are 720% (seven hundred and twenty per cent!) more likely to have experienced exclusionary behaviour by their colleagues.

These – and other – barriers to inclusion are often conflated when also considering an individual’s race, disability, and/or socio-economic status, for example.

With this in mind, GW4 and PRISM Exeter invite you to join them for two complementary events around diversity.

GW4 Diversity conference – hosted by Cardiff University, Nov 18th 2020 (10am – 4pm) via Zoom

The Physics and Astronomy departments of the GW4 network* warmly invite you to a free 1-day online conference to mark LGBTQ+ STEM Day 2020. Aimed at staff and students from the physics sector we will be discussing the many dimensions of diversity, and how we can tackle the barriers that still exist. Featuring speakers on topics such as Lad Culture, Open Science, Colonialism in the curriculum, Harassment and bullying and an opportunity to hear about the Institute of Physics’ latest member survey and their strategy for diversity beyond Project Juno. The full programme is attached.
Sessions will be held on Zoom with plenty of chance for questions, chat and discussion, and an informal networking space will be available over lunch, and for the last 30 minutes of the day to help you keep the conversations going.

*GW4 is a collaboration between Bath University, Bristol University, Cardiff University and Exeter University

Register in advance for this meeting: https://cardiff.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqd-6ppz0vHddGbIX_uTFGnUGQP8CvLWPn
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

More information on the speakers and the programme can be found here.

PRISMExeter network invite you to an additional event:

PRISM Speakers, Nov 17th 2020 (7-9:30pm) via Zoom

Prof Robert Appleby (Univ. Manchester) will speak about the Tactile Collider project and communicating science to a visually impaired audience. Dr Nat Stephen (Univ. Plymouth) will speak about her experiences as a Bisexual planetary scientist and her work with the TIGERS parliamentary advisory group advocating for equity in STEMM research. The event is free and open to all. Both talks will be 15 minutes in length and there will be ample time for discussion with the speakers following their talks. The talks will be recorded and published online after the event – please sign up to the PRISM Exeter newsletter to ensure you are notified when these are published. More information (including how to register) are provided on Eventbrite.