Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Space for LGBTQ+ iGEMers

June is Pride month, celebrating LGBTQ+ folks around the world. The iGEM blog is marking the occasion with a post from Landon Getz, a member of the Diversity & Inclusion committee, discussing how iGEM teams can make their groups more open and accepting to LGBTQ+ folks. This is the second of a two-part series on being LGBTQ+ in iGEM. See part 1 of this series for the personal experiences of LGBTQ+ iGEMer and student, Henrik Johansen.

Landon Getz at the LGBTSTEMinar in London, UK – photo credit: Piers Macdonald

iGEM is a unique space for a diverse range of students because iGEM actively attempts to encourage and support students from around the world to participate in its competition and community. But for the mentors or instructors in the room, what do you do actively to ensure that a diverse range of students in your program feel welcome and included? I’ve been wondering about how we can change our programs, teaching, and mentoring to help a diverse range of student feel comfortable in the spaces we create.

In May 2019, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Dalhousie Conference on University Teaching and Learning (DCUTL). The conference’s topic was specifically focused on engaging students in active learning in the classroom, but I took a slightly different angle on it. While I understood the requirement for active learning in the classroom, as well as its benefits, still I wondered, “Would I have engaged in the active learning process during my undergrad?” I worried that, especially in the first year of my undergraduate degree, I would have been far too uncomfortable to do so. Let’s back up so I can explain.

I came out to my family as a gay man in the fall of my first year of University, which came with a period of very personal and emotional stress. Entering into the classroom environment in this state, I felt very uncomfortable and very tense. And because of this, I think I would’ve been very unlikely to participate well in any active learning activities without some engagement with how I was feeling in the classroom environment.

My talk at the DCUTL conference was titled “Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusive Spaces for Equitable Active Learning.” My key message was that students who do not feel comfortable in their surroundings are unlikely to participate in the active learning process. I drew on my personal experiences in my first year to explain this discomfort as well as how an educator (or iGEM mentor or PI) might help alleviate that discomfort. 

The primary “action items” I asked people to consider including in their classrooms, and which I am asking iGEM mentors and PI’s now to consider, are the following:

Button created by an iGEMer at the 2019 Giant Jamboree - photo credit: Landon Getz

Inclusion of Pronouns:

My purpose here is to encourage the normalizing of pronoun usage in the classroom. Introducing yourself, as the instructor, with pronouns at the beginning of the semester signals to LGTBQ+ students that you are aware of them and you are a supportive individual. The same is achieved through the inclusion of pronouns in email signatures. These small actions help non-binary and trans students to identify their pronouns in class without feeling singled out or alone.

Above: Examples of signage that can be used to signal to LGBTQ+ people that they are welcome from the University of Michigan. ( https://mcneilgroup.chem.lsa.umich.edu/diversity/)

Become a “Visible Ally”:

My second suggestion is one that I’m referring to as “Visible Allyship.” Essentially, this means that it is not enough to simply be an ally; your students also need to know that you are an ally. This can be done through small things like the use of rainbow pins, rainbow flags, and other LGBTQ+ identifying paraphernalia. Importantly, these small objects, when hanging in your office, classroom, or iGEM work-room/laboratory, signal to LGBTQ+ students that this is a space where they are welcome. 

This has been my experience anecdotally. My current PhD supervisor, then honours supervisor, has a “celebrate diversity” pin on his office cork board. When I first met him to discuss doing research, I saw the pin and knew I was in a safe space without having to broach the subject directly. This takes an enormous amount of stress off of the student and made me immediately more comfortable in that environment.

Have an explicit code-of-conduct:

This is a big one. Much like conferences should always have an explicit code of conduct, which explains what behaviours are not acceptable during the conference, so too should the classroom (or iGEM laboratory) have a code of conduct. These documents can be short, and signal to students that they have entered into a location where their peers are expected to engage in respectful and courteous ways with you and others in their local environment. These codes can include statements like:

“We expect all classroom participants to treat each other with dignity and to conduct themselves in a proper and professional manner.”

“Harassment and sexist, racist, homophobic, or exclusionary jokes will not be tolerated” 

These codes of conduct should be made explicit on day one and be included in the syllabus (or iGEM agreements). It is also a good idea to have a plan for what the students should do if this code of conduct is breached and make that explicit in your syllabus as well.

Members of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee at the 2019 Giant Jamboree

Highlight LGBTQ+ Staff, Faculty, and Students (when appropriate) to highlight LGBTQ+ role models:

For many LGBTQ+ youth, finding role models is hard (as we saw from Henrik’s story). This is especially true in traditionally heterosexual and cis-gendered environments such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). For this reason, I think it is incredibly beneficial to students to highlight those in your programs (and beyond) in a position of authority or power that identify as a member of a minority group. Doing this allows students to find role models and recognize the folks they can be immediately open with and ask questions about being LGBTQ+ in STEM.

A word of caution. DO NOT highlight LGBTQ+ staff, faculty, or students without express consent from them. It is possible for a staff member to be open with their immediate workplace, but not want their identity on speakerphone to the whole institution (or beyond). Without express consent, it is quite easy to accidentally out a faculty member to their family/friends and this can be EXTREMELY harmful. Just ask before you highlight anyone.

Conclusions and Take-Home’s for iGEM:

My talk at DCUTL was designed to offer these suggestions to make the classroom a more equitable place for all to feel comfortable engaging in the active learning process. I hope that iGEM mentors and PI’s can also find these suggestions useful in navigating what can be a complex and diverse environment, and make sure that all students feel welcome.

A final note: remember that sometimes it’s not what you say, it’s what you don’t say. I believe that most educators are not EXPLICITLY making an unwelcoming environment for students. However, without active signals that the classroom is a welcome place for LGBTQ+ students, they may feel uncomfortable regardless. Be mindful of how environments might feel for diverse students, and use these four suggestions to actively make the classroom comfortable for LGBTQ+ iGEMers.