The First International LGBT STEM Day

The Babraham Institute recently celebrated the first international LGBT STEM day which was on the 5th July 2018.

This was a day to celebrate diversity both in the field of science, technology, engineering and maths, and here at the Babraham Institute.

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To celebrate the day the Equality4Success team, of which I am a student representative, arranged a showcase at the monthly campus coffee morning. It was wonderful morning, full of rainbow decorated donuts and cakes, lanyards and facepaint, and the turnout was spectacular! Staff were encouraged to show their support by wearing brightly coloured clothing, making the room appear like a giant pride flag.

This event has made me feel incredibly proud to work at an institute championing equality and diversity. It is great to see the Equality4Success team at the Babraham Institute not only working towards gender equality, but also working hard to create an environment where all staff feel safe, accepted and included. It is only in this kind of environment that we can all thrive and produce ground-breaking research to make a difference. I look forward to seeing the equality events at the institute branching out further to include more demographics.

 

EDIT:

Since my vocal social media campaign around LGBT STEM day a lot of people have been interested in why I am so invested in a cause that has no directed output for me personally. While discussing this with a friend I was reminded of an important lesson that I think more people should see. I wholeheartedly encourage you to watch this video and think about which student you are and how your opportunities don’t always match those of people around you.

 

#LGBTSTEMday
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#ScienceIsReal
#BlackLivesMatter
#NoHumanIsIllegal
#LoveIsLove
#WomensRightsAreHumanRights
#KindnessIsEverything