What I’ve Learned in the Last 8 Years of Research: How Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Scientists Navigate Their Academic Communities

When I began my medical transition in 2007, I applied to graduate programmes as a trans person. But I went back to being closeted about my identity during my PhD in neuroscience. I felt secure coming out again publicly midway through my postdoc training at the University of Washington, Seattle, eight years later.

Here is what I’ve learnt so far about how trans and gender-nonconforming scientists can navigate academia. The advice I give comes from humility and will not be applied to everyone. Although, much of it I offer to anyone on their academic journey. I suggest that you create more inclusive academic communities and cultures.

I resent that when I speak out on issues of equity and social justice, I am often referred to as an “angry minority,” something that happens to advocates for racial justice, people with disabilities and other people from marginalized communities. This is also true for Black women.

At times I have been angry. I would argue that anger is bound to arise during years of invisibility, fear, stress, frustration and despair in the search for connection and belonging in academic spaces that are ill-prepared to foster a safe and welcoming environment for people like me to thrive.

Service work towards DEI in academic spaces is mainly led by under-represented or marginalized people. There is a significant ‘time tax’ involved in DEI work, informal mentoring and social-justice advocacy, because it can pull the focus away from research work.

In the past, I have spent so much time on these efforts that I fell behind on publishing my research and applying for grants. As a postdoc, I spent my evenings serving on the board of directors for a transgender advocacy non-profit organization and my weekends volunteering at the local science centre delivering informal science education. I followed my passions, but I kept my work secret. If I was found to be so active outside the lab, my commitment to research projects would be questioned. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was honing my skills that would greatly affect my academic career. Ultimately, I wasn’t ‘successful’ enough at developing my publication record and securing grants to be a competitive applicant for tenure-track faculty positions. I was fortunate enough, however, to find a faculty position that valued my volunteer work outside academia more than my research history.

I hope you concentrate on developing the skills you want to use in your career. It is important to have explicit career-development conversations with your supervisor, and advocate for the career you want to build. You should get teaching experience if you wish to teach. If you want to be a community leader and organizer, take steps to do it — on or off campus. Take credit for what you do, if you build a CV to fit your goals. It can be easy to lose your own development when you are working in the service of others, and remember to take care of your own needs first.

Defensive Intelligence and Harmshadring in Academic Environments: What Are Expected Benefits and How Should They be Considered?

In my opinion, many organizations implement DEI initiatives to boost their reputations and to protect themselves from litigation. I was referred between different campus offices when I experienced harassment in my academic career. The traumatic story of the events had to be told over and over again. It was tiring and triggering. Each office responded that they were sorry to hear about my experience, but that there wasn’t anything they could do to help me. It wasn’t until I reached out to my physician to submit paperwork attesting to the impact that the incidents had on my mental health and well-being that action was taken to protect me from further mistreatment.

The rewards for curating an inclusive environment are unlikely to be commensurate with the amount of work you put in. Someone once told me, “No one is going to pay you for your pronouns.” Despite this, I still think it is worth advocating for equity and inclusion. If you want to work on DEI efforts, you should include responsibilities and expectations in your job description. Many faculty positions are built around research, teaching and service work. It’s not always worth comparing the last one to research and teaching. Service work is essential to the operation of institutions, but many academic environments have not traditionally considered DEI efforts to be valuable or included in promotion consideration.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00923-3

Documentation of Faculty Bullying, Harassment, Microaggression, and Abuse: The Case of a Minority at an Inclusive University

Make sure you leave a paper trail when issues such as harassment, bias, microaggression or abuse arise. This can take the form of sending an e-mail to a supportive and trusted colleague when an incident occurs, or using campus bias reporting tools and services if available. You do not have to follow through with official reports. A word of warning: if the wrong people become aware of your documentation, subtle and egregious forms of retaliation for reporting incidents are a risk. In my experience, I have seen questionable responses to incidents of harassment in which the image and reputation of an institution, and people in positions of power, are prioritized over the individual who was harmed. The history of events should be documented if a formal complaint is made. Protect yourself.

Be brave in your support and advocacy. It is worth the risk in order to speak up against injustice and harassment. You know they have power to change your career, but it can be intimidating to educate a senior faculty member on how to improve their behavior. If you were emotionally activated by what was said, addressing problematic comments and actions can be difficult. If you feel uneasy speaking about it in the moment, wait until after the meeting or when you feel comfortable enough to discuss it. If you don’t want to have the difficult conversation verbally, addressing the issue through e-mail is completely acceptable. It can be easier to feel safer. You can use the vision and values statements, policies, or DEI statements to support your case on how a comment violated the organizations stance on various issues. For example, if your institution states it seeks to make an “inclusive environment for everyone”, quote this statement in your message to help the person to understand how their comments were not aligned with institutional policy.

1. Challenge your beliefs and the universality of your personal experience. Do you think that sacrificing your physical and mental well-being is the only way to ‘make it’ in academia? Do you think that ‘kids these days’ are asking for too much? Do you believe it is difficult to change the system? It’s given to those that survived in the system. Look at your colleagues and ask yourself: among your peers, what traits have been selected for? Which are harms to your well-being? And which might impact the sustainability and success of your institution? Change the toxic patterns that prevent a more sustainable environment from occurring is a suggestion you may be willing to make.

There are four. If someone feels comfortable sharing their experience with you, embrace it as a gift. Don’t dismiss it outright. Don’t compare or diminish their experience by telling them about how much harder you or others have it. My life experiences and background is not the same as those of many of the people I mentor. It is important to remember that the experience of someone who is other than me is probably different, despite our shared trans identity. For example, I’m white and I don’t know what it’s like to be a person of colour, especially a transgender person of colour. It is important that I listen and affirm the experience of someone who is sharing their lived experience with me. I do my best to ask a lot of questions to clarify, then I share my advice from a place of humility.

1. It’s OK to be vulnerable and to admit when you’re wrong. I gain experience and learn new things as I change my understanding of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. It is essential that we are open to having a personal growth mindset that will allow others to learn as well. You must be open to the data and information if you want to revise your theories. Being a good scientist and a good advocate requires this.

Questions about how to address gender diversity, adolescent mental health and teens’ expectations about gender are worthwhile. There will be no answers to them because legislation will harm children, families and their health care providers. Why are politicians making decisions for patients and families instead of doctors?