Developing LGBTQIA+ inclusive biology content and classrooms

Background/Question/Methods

: Oversimplified understandings of biological sex and gender are often deployed both in STEM classrooms and as a political tool to invalidate the existence of queer, transgender, and intersex individuals. This rhetoric discourages LGBTQIA+ students from continuing in these fields, reaffirms harmful misconceptions about human sex, gender, and sexuality in both these students and their heterosexual, cisgender peers, and neglects the true and extraordinary diversity of life on earth. As scientists, educators, and communicators, we have the opportunity to increase the inclusivity of our research, classrooms, and curricula by exploring the social role of biology that has shaped who gets to practice, benefit from, and access it. Although biology education is often presented as value-neutral and divorced from culture, without understanding how eugenics and white supremacy have influenced historical understandings of biological sex, we cannot effectively challenge the biased and binary misunderstandings of human diversity that developed as a result and remain widespread.

Results/Conclusions

: By incorporating and exploring the diversity and complexity of sex, gender, and sexuality in human biology and across taxa, we can instill in our students and audiences an understanding that biology can serve as a source of empowerment for, rather than invalidation of, queer, transgender, and intersex individuals. Such efforts can play a crucial role in increasing retention of LGBTQIA+ students in the sciences and encourage innovative research and science communication exploring sex, gender, and sexuality across taxa.