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The State of LGBTQ+ Physics and JWST

By Avery Kiihne

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Code of Conduct

  • Share the air
  • No gatekeeping
  • Respect the preferred pronouns of others
  • Recognize that intent ≠ impact
  • “What’s shared here stays here; what’s learned here leaves here.”

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Harassment faced by LGBTQ Physicists

  • ⅓ of LGBTQ Physicists considered leaving their institution in the last year.
  • Women and Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) individuals face high amounts of sexual harrassment, verbal and physical.
  • GNC Physicists face issues with access to bathrooms and healthcare.
  • Extra burden from expectation to educate others.

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Statistics

  • (a) Comfort in different institutional contexts.
  • (b) Whether participants had considered leaving.
  • (c) Experience and observation of exclusionary behavior.
  • (d) Perceptions of institutional policies.”

22% of respondents experienced harassment in the last year.

Barthelemy et al. 2022

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Example from NASA Goddard

  • GSFC gave employees choice to add pronouns to display their name
  • 100 people added themselves to the pilot program
  • participants called to a meeting and told the program was done and pronouns where being removed
  • Creates uncomfortable atmosphere

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Discussion 1

  • How do we make people feel welcome in our community?
  • What are concrete actions within the dept. that would make it a more LGBTQ friendly place?
  • How do we prevent ourselves from backtracking when we do make progress, on this issue or other issues?

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Efforts to rename JWST

  • Telescopes normally named after astronomers or physicists.
  • Webb, who ran NASA from 1961 - 1968, was involved with the Lavender Scare, at NASA and in the US government.
  • Petition to change name
  • Name gives credibility

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James Webb & the Lavender Scare

  • The Lavender Scare: a period in which gay indviduals where fired and harrassed by the US government as part of the Red Scare
  • Involved with homophobic Senate committee as Under Secretary
  • During Webb’s leadership, Clifford Norton was fired for being gay, which a court ruled unlawful later

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Discussion

  • Why does the name of a telescope matter?
  • How do we hold historical figures accountable?
  • What are alternative names?

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