Science of lgbtq
Why LGBTQ People Should Nurture About Science
Today, millions of people across the country will participate in the March for Science.
Organizers characterize the gathering as a “celebration of science” that’s not only about scientists and politicians, but also “the very real role that science plays in each of our lives and the need to respect and encourage research that gives us insight into the world.”
While science helps build support for and advance understanding of LGBTQ people, junk science remains a huge concern.
For example, in August, Johns Hopkins psychiatry professor Paul McHugh and biostatistician Lawrence Mayer published a page “special report” on gender and sexual orientation in The New Atlantis, the magazine of a conservative ponder tank. The report made a number of claims that own long been rejected by gender and sexuality researchers. It falsely implies that children are “encouraged to become transgender” and that young transgender children undergo medical interventions as part of affirming their gender ide
Massive Study Finds No Unpartnered Genetic Cause of Lgbtq+ Sexual Behavior
Few aspects of human biology are as complex—or politically fraught—as sexual orientation. A clear genetic link would suggest that gay people are “born this way,” as opposed to having made a lifestyle choice. Yet some fear that such a finding could be misused to “cure” homosexuality, and most research teams acquire shied away from tackling the topic.
Now a recent study claims to dispel the notion that a single gene or handful of genes make a person prone to queer behavior. The analysis, which examined the genomes of nearly half a million men and women, initiate that although genetics are certainly involved in who people choose to contain sex with, there are no specific genetic predictors. Yet some researchers scrutinize whether the analysis, which looked at genes connected with sexual activity rather than attraction, can sketch any real conclusions about sexual orientation.
“The message should remain the same that this is a complex behavior that genetics definitely plays a par
Epigenetics and evolution: ‘the significant biological puzzle’ of sexual orientation
Last century, when things were a whole lot worse for gay people than they are today, there was a widely held notion that human lesbian behaviour was a choice, and that a homosexual person could change their ways and change into heterosexual. For this reason, the occasional report of a “gay” gene was welcomed by many progressive people. The existence of such genes would display that homosexuality was not a selection but an inevitable consequence of maturation and genetics. Indeed, gay genes were perhaps the only example where many left-leaning people heartily embraced genetic determinism.
Awkwardly, like cold fusion, reports of genes that “cause” human homosexuality (and many other human behaviours) have failed to stand up to scrutiny – there is no “gay gene” in the sense that no one has identified genetic markers or genes that reliably predict sexual orientation in humans. Moreover, since homosexuality would generally be reckoned to reduce reproductive output of an individual, an allele (a gene variant
This February, the theme for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender+ (LGBT+) History Month is #BehindTheLens.
At the National Centre for Atmospheric Science we are committed to promoting and maintaining equality and diversity, but recognise that scientists from sexual and gender minorities endure at a disadvantage.
At the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, we recognise that our organisation benefits from diversity and the distinct perspectives of our staff, and last year we asked them to inform us about themselves.
This February, we asked staff across all roles and sites of our organisation, who identify as LGBTQ+, to share their experiences of, and advice for, operational in science.
We hope that by sharing their perspectives we can show our support and nurture a more inclusive science community.
Why is it important to you that your employer or organisation nurtures an inclusive workplace?
Nurturing an inclusive workplace is all about making people feel admired, comfortable and welcome at work. This spans all protected characteristics and is somet