Journal
JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY
Volume 67, Issue 13, Pages 1839-1863Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2019.1610632
Keywords
Queer identity; grounded theory; STEM; workplace; professional identity; interview
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are often stereotyped as spaces in which personal identity is subsumed in the pursuit of a single-minded focus on objective scientific truths, and correspondingly rigid expectations of gender and sexuality are widespread. This paper describes findings from a grounded theory inquiry of how queer individuals working in STEM fields develop and navigate personal and professional identities. Through our analysis, we identified three distinct but related processes ofDefininga queer gender and/or sexual identity,Formingan identity as a STEM professional, andNavigatingidentities at work. We found that heteronormative assumptions frequently silence conversations about gender and sexuality in STEM workplaces and result in complicated negotiations of self for queer professionals. This analysis of the personal accounts of queer students, faculty, and staff in STEM reveals unique processes of identity negotiation and elucidates how different social positioning creates challenges and opportunities for inclusivity.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available