Science Genius Girl

This is an article I original wrote for The Gay Voice News:

I recommend listening to Freezepop’s Science Genius Girl while reading this article.

The workplace poses unique challenges for LGBTQ individuals. When your coworker talks about his wife and kids, do you mention your partner and risk confrontation, or stay silent? Will being out put you on the front lines of department cuts? If your work revolves around sponsors and fundraising, will your private life present unintended consequences?

Some industries have LGBTQ support and networking groups to help deal with these questions and offer protections to employees in need. For the sci/tech world, that’s the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals. This mouthful is shortened to “nah’-goal-step” by its members, and it includes allies as well. They are active in a variety of locations, and online, nationwide.

NOGLSTP has been around since 1983, created by members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science who realized that there were serious problems surrounding homophobia and discrimination in the workplace. They have been actively involved with improving inclusivity in scientific communities, promoting nondiscrimination policies, and providing information on workplace diversity with the goal of creating a better employment environment for LGBTQ professionals.

The community at large also greatly benefits from their efforts. NOGLSTP engages in education and outreach on issues that relate to all of us from science and technology to medical developments–and in turn educates the scientific community about us and our needs. They promote interdisciplinary collaboration to make science work better for us, and they even offer an Out to Innovate scholarship to LGBT students. The public also has access to career, coming out, and mentoring workshops through the American Association for Advancement of Sciences and other partners.

An important part of their mission is mentoring assistance for students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers. They connect students with professionals to help them find gay-friendly companies and answer tough questions about the impact of being out in their intended careers. The goal is to put the next generation of aspiring STEM professionals on a solid path to success. They achieve this by partnering with organizations such as MentorNet, and various universities and colleges.

 

NOGLSTP’s publication, “Career Opportunities for LGBT STEM Grads: Brighter Than Ever” helps target science and technology companies that scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for one’s job search. They also partner with Out and Equal’s LGBT Career Link, a service designed to help job-seekers find LGBT-friendly corporations to work for.

Because role models are highly valued by NOGLSTP, they take the time to highlight and award high achieving LGBTQ science and technology professionals. These include scientist of the year, engineer of the year, and educator of the year, and nominations are accepted through their website.

To learn more, visit www.noglstp.org. And be sure to check out their “Queer Scientists of Historical Note”!