LGBTQ+ in STEM
Coming out made me a scientist
As many other queer people can relate, I knew something was different about myself growing up. Being raised in a small, rural, Appalachian town is something I am very proud. Appalachians have a lot of pride for where they come from, and I have a lot of pride for who I've grown to be. I came out right before I started my junior year of college, July 2017. I fell for a boy for the first time and the rest was history (not really). As I was finding ways to cope with my newfound identity and feelings I had never had to process before, I was also dealing with an upper level biochemistry I course. I quickly found solace in the pages of my Lehninger 7th edition Principle of Biochemistry text as a way to escape, but soon it became the confidence boost I needed. Biochemistry I was the first A I ever made in a science course in undergrad. I spent my first two years in college as the guy who made jokes about the Cs and Ds I'd make on exams and report cards. After this semester, I exchanged my self-depricating and destructive personality for one that was confident, curious, and gay af.
I don't know if my story would be the same if I did not come out when I had. That's not something I like to imagine because of how happy I have become since then. What I do know is that everyone isn't privileged enough to have the support system I was lucky enough to have in school and at home at the time. Nobody's journey through science and coming out is the same, but both of these had a large impact on the other in my journey. I don't think I could be the kind of scientist I am today if I was still spending hours agonizing over people finding out my secret, wondering if my family would still love me, and thinking about why I stayed single for over 20 years of my life. This burden was holding me back and keeps so many other LGBTQ+ scientists from making life changing discoveries. For these reasons, I hope to be a face of representation for people who grow up like I did and to advocate for those who face more adverse challenges than I did.
Below is a link to a collection of resources to help people learn about the queer STEM experience, understand the obstacles we face in the lab and classroom, and works by LGBTQ+ scientists that have made it into academia.