Better late than never… February was 🌈 LGBTQIA+ History Month 🌈 , and my goodness it was a busy one!

The theme for this year was science and innovation 🧬

I delivered a webinar for West Midlands Combined Authority about my career journey as a queer and disabled scientist. I shared the evolution of my queer identity and all the many many closets I’ve come out of, the evolution of my disability identity, and how those have impacted my career. I then got to share some of my favourite studies on science and queerness 🧠

I was also delighted to be invited back to Bedford’s LGBT History Month celebrations to talk about my career journey more in-depth, from coming out at school, supporting trans students at university, unemployment, how my first day at work eventually lead to my launching a global disability ERG, and my many career successes. I got to share small things that changed my life in big ways, and reflect on the last (nearly) 4 years of my scientific career. In the Q&A, I was also asked about how being a druid intersects with my being a scientist, which was a great discussion to have 🌿

My history month read was Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown. This book follows Molly Bolt as she grows up as a lesbian in the 1950s and 60s. It is based on Rita’s own life experiences, and offers insight into how different things used to be compared to the modern day, while still sharing some similarities in how queer folks experience the world. 5 ⭐

Pride Month starts in June, so if you’d like me to speak at your event, get in touch!