Black LGBT STEM Majors’ (In)Visible Identities and Identity Disclosure

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 4:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Intersectional Identity Narration, Negotiation, and Masking in School and Community-Based Organizations

Abstract

Black LGBT learners have historically and persistently been multiply marginalized within white, cisheteropatriarchal STEM cultures. This study explores how Black LGBT STEM majors perceive the relevance of their identities in their STEM spaces and under what conditions they disclose their sexual identities. Drawing upon focus group interviews with six Black LGBT STEM majors in Texas, findings reveal: (1) a dissonance between students’ perceptions of STEM neutrality and their actual experiences, and (2) identity disclosing practices which rely on their sense of community. This research highlights how place, race, and sexuality shape Black LGBT students’ sense of belonging. Findings call attention to the limits of inclusion without representation and underscore the need for intersectionally affirming STEM environments for Black queer students.

Authors

• Chandel Burgess, University of Texas at Austin

• Nkasano R. Fullerton, University of Texas at Austin