Over the past decade, members of AGU and AGQ—the LGBTQIA2S+ affinity community of AGU—have witnessed the emotional and inspiring transformation of our communal space. What began as gAyGU, an informal gathering of friends and colleagues that was largely invisible to official AGU channels and organized solely by word of mouth, has evolved into the current organization of AGQ, a recognized community that has sponsored panel discussions, networking pods, and reception events at AGU annual meetings.
Interest in and support for AGQ continue to flourish and expand: At AGU’s Annual Meeting 2023 in San Francisco, the AGQ reception hosted more than 300 community members and allies.
Though progress has been made within AGU to support its own scientific communities, we still live in a world where groups with marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities consistently face violence, discrimination, and legislation that attempts to infringe on their rights. There is no shortage of examples of exclusionary behaviors and systemic biases in academia [Gibney, 2016; Marin-Spiotta et al., 2023] that raise the barrier to participation and reduce the retention rate of historically excluded groups in the Earth and space sciences [Olcott and Downen, 2020].
Despite various calls to improve equity and inclusion through the actions of individuals, institutions, funding agencies, and scientific societies, the transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary (hereinafter referred to as genderqueer) communities have not traditionally been the center of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the Earth and space sciences [Kanungo and Barrow, 2021; Ulrich, 2021]. Data on the needs of these individuals and the impact of DEI programs on their well-being and career development are sparse [Clancy et al., 2014; Coffield et al., 2023]; thus, more support is needed to empower these scientists and researchers.
Recent social and political attacks on genderqueer individuals in the United States (as broad as “anti-DEI legislation” in some states and as specific as “bathroom bills” in others) have exposed the need to be intentional in supporting genderqueer communities in the Earth and space sciences.
To that end, members of AGQ and Coriolis, the LGBTQIA2S+ affinity group of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), collaborated to host a virtual panel event during Pride Month in June 2023 to center the voices of genderqueer scientists. The event, “Uplifting Transgender & Gender Non-conforming Geoscientists Through Allyship & Empowerment,’’ was moderated by the presidents of AGU and AMS, Lisa Graumlich (she/they) and Brad Colman (he/him), respectively. Several panelists, including coauthor Akilah Alwan (she/they), shared their personal experiences as genderqueer individuals working in various fields of the Earth and space sciences.
The panelists discussed their backgrounds, how their identities intersect with their careers, and what support they have received from their colleagues and professional societies. The event also gave panelists the opportunity to share directly with leadership at AGU and AMS what the organizations can do to meaningfully support the genderqueer community.
Call to Action
It is beyond time to create and nurture a culture of inclusion for genderqueer Earth and space scientists.
The panel stressed that it is beyond time to create and nurture a culture of inclusion for genderqueer Earth and space scientists. The onus of fostering such an environment, they emphasized, should not be on the individuals who have been systemically targeted and excluded but, rather, on those who benefit from various forms of privilege, those who can listen to the needs of their marginalized colleagues and leverage their privilege to create lasting change.
Progress on this front is multidirectional. As individuals, we can build a personal ethic of inclusion with impacts that scale up to our professional circles, places of work, and disciplines as a whole. Academic institutions and professional associations can complement this personal ethic to advance our culture in ways that incentivize and model change systemically.
Individuals
To support the genderqueer community in the Earth and space sciences, we, the authors, recommend that individuals listen, learn, and speak out.
Listen. In forums like AGQ, genderqueer scientists are empowered to share accounts of their lived experiences. It is crucial for cisgender scientists to listen to these accounts because by doing so, they are better able to empathize with the consistent challenges faced by genderqueer people.
For example, a cisgender person might not consider the fear and anxiety a genderqueer scientist might experience while traveling for a conference to a place that does not have firm protections for genderqueer individuals. Unease or apprehension from prospective conference-goers reduces opportunities for an individual, engagement for a society, and progress for science itself. And the apprehension is well founded: In 2023 alone, 49 U.S. states introduced measures to erode safety and belonging for the genderqueer community, and reports have shown that the chance for a genderqueer person to be harassed and assaulted is much higher in states where anti-trans legislation is actively being drafted or passed.
Consistently listening to such concerns is especially relevant for those in decisionmaking positions (e.g., department or society leadership). Their words, behavior, and choices about policies and practices can help or harm genderqueer individuals.
Cisgender people in the Earth and space sciences must be vocal about injustices to the genderqueer community, whether or not members of that community are “in the room.”
Learn. Cisgender people are often hesitant to make a mistake when interacting with genderqueer colleagues—using the wrong pronoun, for example—for fear of being socially ostracized. To combat this fear, we encourage our colleagues to draw on their scientific background and be open to constructive feedback, as well as to the opportunity to learn more about evolving concepts and language surrounding identity.
When unfamiliar with the discourse around pronouns or what it means to be genderqueer, individuals can educate themselves by seeking out academic resources on gender inclusivity. We encourage our colleagues to be proactive learners to ensure that mistakes are minimized: It is not solely the duty of the person harmed by the mistake to teach the person causing the harm why they were wrong, regardless of whether the harm was intentional or unintentional.
Speak out. Individuals with privilege conferred by their race, gender, education, class, or other identities have a responsibility to leverage their privilege to advocate for those without. This includes speaking up and speaking out against verbal and structural gender discrimination; actively engaging genderqueer colleagues in decisionmaking processes; being intentional in structuring activities where equity is present for genderqueer individuals, specifically regarding travel and lodging arrangements and the availability of restrooms that align with gender identity; and choosing to collaborate with individuals and institutions that are welcoming and supportive of genderqueer identities.
Most critically, cisgender people in the Earth and space sciences must be vocal about injustices to the genderqueer community, whether or not members of that community are “in the room.” Many times, those who hold privilege do not speak out when they witness an incident of discrimination because it does not affect them directly. However, as panelist Akilah Alwan said at the AGQ-Coriolis panel, “complacency is a form of violence.”
Academic Institutions
Institutions serving Earth and space scientists need to improve diverse representation among their faculty and staff, which remain overwhelmingly heterosexual and white [Dzombak, 2020; Kanungo and Barrow, 2021; Ulrich, 2021; Marin-Spiotta et al., 2023]. The change in faculty and staff composition might require institutions to reexamine criteria used for hiring and promotion, as these criteria may inadvertently (or even intentionally) dismiss qualified candidates on the basis of, for example, pedigree bias.
Increasing the representation and visibility of genderqueer faculty and staff can have spillover effects that increase the diversity of the institution as a whole. Students, research assistants, and lab technicians with marginalized identities, for example, may feel a stronger sense of belonging if they have mentors with whom they share an identity. Institutions should adopt human resources and communications systems that allow individuals to be acknowledged by their preferred name and pronouns while also striving to protect individuals from exclusionary behaviors.
Geoscience departments, schools, and institutions must foster a sense of inclusion for genderqueer individuals by affirming that they are heard, believed, and supported.
When exclusionary behaviors do occur, institutions need to swiftly and transparently pursue action that is not solely punitive but also uses the exclusionary behavior as a learning tool.
For example, defaulting to assumptions about cisnormativity and heteronormativity for relationships can lead to discomfort and harm by denying the victim of this exclusionary behavior recognition of their lived experience. However, this exclusionary behavior can create learning opportunities to expand perceptions of gender identity.
In this case, institutions can be proactive by incorporating cultural competency training into onboarding activities. Furthermore, individuals in positions of power (supervisors, professors, department chairs, deans) should encourage members to use and ask for pronouns and create a safe environment for others to share.
Using the exclusionary behavior to effect change could also take the form of sponsoring bystander training to raise awareness of sexuality and gender and equip learners with the skills needed to respond to bias, discrimination, and harassment.
To help foster inclusive learning, institutions can allocate funding to allow their members to attend DEI workshops to ensure that their environment is inclusive and welcoming.
Professional Societies
Recognizing that one of the strengths of a scientific community lies in the diversity of its scientists, association leadership must take a firm stand to support genderqueer members in the face of discrimination and bigotry. Societal research, initiatives, and programming should focus on learning more about and prioritizing the needs of genderqueer members, as limited scholarship on this demographic group exists. This programming may include constructing strategic DEI plans, hiring staff with genderqueer cognizance in DEI issues, and inviting experts to provide training to members of the professional society.
Society statements are starting points to affirm support for genderqueer members and promote a culture of equity and justice. Such support should also include elevating the voices of genderqueer members in panels and societal awards. A deeper commitment may include enforcing a zero-tolerance code of conduct toward hatred. By unequivocally condemning and penalizing speech that promotes or incites hatred, discrimination, or violence against genderqueer scientists, the societies would set an example of protecting every single one of their members’ welfare and upholding their commitment to building a safe and inclusive environment for everyone.
Although the immediate reaction to the recent flood of anti-trans legislation may be to boycott certain cities or states for sanctioned meetings, the issue is far more complex.
Professional associations have unique duties to prioritize the safety and inclusion of their membership in planning annual and special meetings [Johnson and Chin, 2020; Nicolson, 2018]. The sites for the annual meetings of our professional societies seem to be falling short: Of the 23 annual meetings currently planned for AGU, AMS, the Geological Society of America, and the American Astronomical Society, 20 of them—87%—will be held in states with low equality or negative policy tallies, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
Although the immediate reaction to the recent flood of anti-trans legislation may be to boycott these cities or states for sanctioned meetings, the issue is far more complex.
In 2020, one third of all LGBTQ+ Americans lived in the South, home to some of the nation’s most radical anti-trans legislation, and two fifths of transgender Americans were residents of southern states. Metropolitan areas in the South, such as Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, and Tampa, have reputations as LGBTQ+ havens, especially for queer people of color. In fact, Houston is the birthplace of the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists. Although genderqueer individuals still face violence in these places, it is oversimplistic to apply a blanket ban on these cities under the premise of being anti-LGBTQ+.
There are many factors relevant to the lived experiences of genderqueer scientists to be mindful of when choosing conference sites, including a city’s or venue’s affordability, accessibility, immigration policy, and access to reproductive rights [Woolston, 2022]. Genderqueer individuals possess vast multiplicity within the layers of their identity [Burnes and Chen, 2012], and dismissing the importance of their experience with disability, ethnicity, race, sexuality, or socioeconomic class within the context of belonging and safety would be a loss to the Earth and space science community.
Finding a balance between safety, affordability, and accessibility in future meeting sites will require a holistic approach that relies on understanding the intersectional identities of AGU’s LGBTQ+ membership.
In short, when evaluating sites for meetings, AGU must engage members whose identities intersect at multiple margins of oppression in the decisionmaking process, ensuring that the diverse range of identities within their genderqueer membership has adequate representation to advocate for and have agency over their needs. Finding a balance between safety, affordability, and accessibility in future meeting sites will require a holistic approach that relies on understanding the intersectional identities of AGU’s LGBTQ+ membership.
Initiatives such as SocialOffset offer societies a partial solution to finding this balance by providing donations to vetted charities located in travel destinations with legislation that does not align with the values of attendees. We acknowledge that though this and similar initiatives might be well intentioned, they still are unlikely to make travelers with marginalized or minoritized identities feel safe on the ground or to create lasting change.
At large scientific conferences, actions that are relatively easy to achieve—such as including pronouns on badges and making all-gender restrooms accessible—speak volumes and encourage greater engagement from all attendees.
Finally, to better track progress related to the genderqueer community, societies should measure gender identity (along with other marginalized identities) and query members belonging to these groups on their well-being through voluntary data collection, such as surveys and polls.
We, as AGU members, have reached a watershed moment when we can leverage an unprecedented momentum toward making lasting change. The list of actions presented here is not comprehensive but, rather, intended to be a starting point for individuals, institutions, and associations engaging more intentionally with the genderqueer community to expand DEI efforts and create a more inclusive and thriving scientific community.
References
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Coffield, S., et al. (2023), Improving data and policies to support LGBTQ+ people in STEM, SciTech Forefront, Univ. of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K., medium.com/scitech-forefront/improving-data-and-policies-to-support-lgbtq-people-in-stem-be7d3e404a30.
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Author Information
Qiongyu Chong Huang ([email protected]), Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, D.C.; Akilah K. Alwan, Auburn University, Ala.; Gaige Hunter Kerr, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Alejandro J. Olvera, Arizona State University, Tempe; and Elijah T. Johnson, AGU Education Section, Reston, Va.
About the Authors
Qiongyu Chong Huang, Ph.D. (he/him), is a first-generation Asian immigrant and queer physical geographer who is a long-term member of AGU and the AGQ affinity community. He is a spatial ecologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Akilah K. Alwan (she/they) is a Black, nonbinary, and disabled femme who works to improve equity and justice for historically excluded groups in the geosciences. Using their lived experiences as a person at the margins of multiple overlapping systems of oppression and their training in critical educational theory, they apply a skeptical lens toward efforts at improving diversity within the field. They are a Ph.D. candidate at Auburn University.
Gaige Hunter Kerr, Ph.D. (he/him), is a white, queer geoscientist who leads Coriolis, the LGBTQIA2S+ affinity community of AMS, and has served on the AMS Board on Representation, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Diversity (BRAID). He is a senior research scientist at George Washington University.
Alejandro J. Olvera (he/him) is a Latino, queer astrophysics Ph.D. candidate at Arizona State University and a member of the AGQ affinity community. He helped organize the AGQ Pride event in June 2023.
Elijah T. Johnson, Ph.D. (he/him), is a Black, queer geoscientist. He has worked in various equity- and justice-focused spaces at AGU as a leader in the AGQ affinity community and as an executive member of the Education section.