LGBTQ+ scientists face discrimination, exclusion, and violence in their workplaces, which manifests as career limitations, harassment, professional devaluation, and decreased retention. LGBTQ+ field scientists face even more daunting challenges because widespread problems are exacerbated by the nature of scientific fieldwork: isolation, exposure to the public, blurry professional boundaries, decreased privacy, and intense power asymmetry. LGBTQ+ people who hold multiple marginalized identities (e.g., race, disability) are more likely to have negative experiences and experience increased harassment.
In recent years, queer field scientists have started to establish best practices and safety guidelines to provide protection and guidance for specific subdisciplines, but many serious issues remain unresolved, and safety information specifically for queer field researchers can be difficult for field leaders to find and implement. We hope to tackle these problems UC-wide by cultivating a Queer and Trans Inclusive Fieldwork community of practice.
The Summit is an opportunity for queer field scientists in the UC system to build community, identify challenges, and share resources. The summit will be in the style of a writing retreat, a format that has proven benefits for productivity, focus, and community building, particularly for early career and marginalized academics.
Twelve graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty from across the UCs will come together for a weekend at Blue Oak Ranch Reserve. In the community building portions of the weekend, participants will present and engage with plenaries about the intersection of identity and ecology. They will also get to know each other through extracurricular activities, such as connecting with nature (e.g., hiking and wildlife observations).