LGBTQ an underrepresented population in STEM

[Anonymous]

Is being LGBTQ considered being part of an “underrepresented population” in STEM field? For scholarships, fellowships etc?

[Anonymous]

no its not, URM is black, AA, hispanic, latino, 2 or more races, American Indian, Hawaiian and other pacific islander and women.

[Anonymous]

This is actually a good question, but there is no way to identify as LGBTQ for hiring purposes, and it would be tough to verify, especially if you are fluid.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I work for the government in STEM and there are several people (at least 5?) who identify as LGBTQ+ in our Division of 30 people. There is a trans-man in senior leadership in our organization.
I would guess that in the more physical sciences (engineering, math, comp sci, physics) it would be less so.

[Anonymous]

For scholarships, fellowships etc I don’t know. But it is a studied fact that gay men are under represented in STEM fields by between 8-12% as compared to straight men.

By contrast lesbians are over represented in STEM fields as compared to straight women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is actually a good question, but there is no way to identify as LGBTQ for hiring purposes, and it would be tough to verify, especially if you are fluid.

Honestly, this is a great idea for a potential lawsuit if you want to get them to eliminate affirmative action employment practices.

[Anonymous]

https://www.lgbttech.org/paths

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is being LGBTQ considered being part of an “underrepresented population” in STEM field? For scholarships, fellowships etc?

Does this matter to STEM?
Underrepresented how?
Aren’t LGBTQ-identifying people free to join the STEM field just like everyone else? Would STEM somehow experience a boost in research as a result of a concerted effort to recruit more LGBTQ practitioners? What and in what way?
Why is identity more important that across-the-board interest and competency?

[Anonymous]

There are tons of queer women in stem

[Anonymous]

There are some tech internships my kid is applying to that specifically mentioned being LGBTQ as a marginalized community. My kid is trans, so I think that is kind of true, although being a trans woman programmer is kind of a stereotype (obvious reasons for that). I also saw an internship listed for Microsoft specifically for neurodivergence, and I thought…really? Having known a lot of programmers, there seems to be no shortage of people in the industry on the spectrum.