Recently, I was in a room of scientists that explained to me that the reason why there are so few out faculty members is because there is no reason to be out in academia; everyone is accepting of you either way so why bother talking about your sexuality.
I was then told that there are many queer faculty out there, I just don’t necessarily know it.
I respect an individual’s decision to be as vocal or private about their identity as they choose, but I don’t think the reason there’s a whole bunch of semi-closeted LGBT faculty (as I'm told) is because science is a post-sexuality society where being LGBT doesn’t matter anymore.
I met two of my closest grad student friends (who also happen to be queer) at an interview where every single LGBT recruit was rejected (it was also the only school that asked us about our sexuality).
I certainly would feel less worried that we’d been targeted if I had met an LGBT faculty member there.
And it’s not like personal life just doesn’t come up in academia.
Where are all the LGBT people among the dozens of faculty I’ve heard talk about the trials of the “two body problem” and the complications of family planning with difficult geographic demands and the pressure of the tenure clock? It’s always about hetero couples.
In my experience, this LGBT-blind approach to academia just means LGBT people get left out of the conversation. And sometimes that makes me feel left out, too. Sometimes it feels like a radical act just to mention I have a boyfriend in an academic setting.
So even if they’re right and scientists really don’t care about sexuality, that’s not the impression that the silence gives me.
Let’s please either help this whole group of closeted-at-work faculty be comfortable enough to be out, or let’s admit that there is a dearth of LGBT faculty and work to lift up LGBT voices instead of explaining away a concerned grad student’s observations.
PS very grateful for out faculty on Twitter. Just knowing you’re out there makes a world of a difference.
