Gender bias and inequity are pervasive in physics, but teachers can help. A recent Resource Letter digs into the history, current status, and classroom implications of gender and physics. However, one finding from that work was the tendency for “gender in physics” research to treat sex and gender as the same thing and to neglect the perspective of LGBTQIA+ scientists. In this special issue of The Physics Teacher we want to further discuss the non-binary nature of sex and gender, and why physics teachers should care. Our main goal is to collect information and resources for teachers who wish to know more about these issues. For readers who are members or close allies of the LGBTQIA+ community, much of the introductory material will not be news, but we hope the resource list at the end will be useful.
References
1.
Jennifer
Blue
, Adrienne L.
Traxler
, and Ximena C.
Cid
, “Gender matters
,” Phys. Today
71
, 40
–46
(2018
).2.
Jennifer
Blue
, Adrienne
Traxler
, and Geraldine
Cochran
, “Resource Letter: GP-1: Gender and Physics
,” Am. J. Phys.
87
, 616
–626
(Aug. 2019
).3.
LGBTQIA+ is an abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual, with the+showing inclusion of other minority sexual or gender identities
. We will also use shorter versions of this abbreviation (LGBT, LGBT+, etc.) when needed to match the language of cited documents
.4.
Timothy J.
Atherton
, Ramón S.
Barthelemy
, Wouter
Deconinck
, Michael L.
Falk
, Savannah
Garmon
, Elena
Long
, Monica
Plisch
, Elizabeth H.
Simmons
, and Kyle
Reeves
, LGBT Climate in Physics: Building an Inclusive Community
(American Physical Society
, College Park, MD
, 2016
).5.
Joseph G.
Kosciw
, Emily A.
Greytak
, Adrian D.
Zongrone
, Caitlin M.
Clark
, and Nhan L.
Truong
, The 2017 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youth in Our Nation’s Schools
(GLSEN
, New York, NY
, 2017
).6.
National Science Foundation and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
, Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2019
(Arlington
, VA
, 2019
).7.
Erin Cech and Tom Waidzunas
, STEM Inclusion Study Report: AAPT
(University of Michigan
, Ann Arbor, MI
, 2017
).8.
Rachel
Ivie
and Stacy
Guo
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(AIP Statistical Research Center
, College Park, MD
, 2006
).9.
Institute of Physics, Royal Astronomical Society, and Royal Society of Chemistry
, Exploring the Workplace for LGBT+ Physical Scientists
(2019
).10.
Claire
Ainsworth
, “Sex redefined
,” Nature
518
, 288
–291
(2015
). Please note that this article uses the abbreviation DSD, which can stand for either differences or disorders of sex development; intersex is the currently preferred term.11.
“
The Gender Elephant
,” Canadian Centre for Gender+Sexual Diversity
, https://ccgsd-ccdgs.org/gender-elephant/ (2017
).12.
Because of exactly these issues
, we use the singular “they” as the pronoun for a person whose gender identity we do not know
.13.
14.
GLSEN
, “Safe Space Kit: A Guide to Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Students in Your School
” (2016
).15.
Serena
Nanda
, Gender Diversity – Crosscultural Variations
, 2nd ed. (Waveland Press
, Long Grove, IL
, 2014
).16.
Allison J.
Gonsalves
, “‘Physics and the girly girl—There is a contradiction somewhere’: Doctoral students’ positioning around discourses of gender and competence in physics
,” Cult. Stud. Sci. Educ.
9
, 503
–521
(2014
).17.
Maria
Ong
, “Body projects of young Women of Color in physics: Intersections of gender, race, and science
,” Soc. Probl.
52
, 593
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(2005
).18.
Julia
Serano
, Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
(Seal Press
, 2007
).19.
“
Transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming people #WontBeErased by pseudoscience
,” https://not-binary.org/statement/ (2018
).20.
21.
Mahzarin R.
Banaji
and Anthony G.
Greenwald
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(Delacorte Press
, New York
, 2013
).22.
Nicole
Ackerman
, Timothy
Atherton
, Adrian Ray
Avalani
, Christine A.
Berven
, Tanmoy
Laskar
, Ansel
Neunzert
, Diana S.
Parno
, and Michael
Ramsey-Musolf
, LGBT+ Inclusivity in Physics and Astronomy: A Best Practices Guide
(2018
).23.
Nancy W.
Brickhouse
, Patricia
Lowery
, and Katherine
Schultz
, “What kind of a girl does science? The construction of school science identities
,” J. Res. Sci. Teach.
37
, 441
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(2000
).24.
Lauren M.
Aycock
, Zahra
Hazari
, Eric
Brewe
, Kathryn B. H.
Clancy
, Theodore
Hodapp
, and Renee Michelle
Goertzen
, “Sexual harassment reported by undergraduate female physicists
,” Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.
15,
010121
(2019
).25.
Joseph G.
Kosciw
, Mark
Bartkiewicz
, and Emily A.
Greytak
, “Promising strategies for prevention of the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth
,” The Prevention Researcher
19
, 10
–14
(2012
).26.
Stanley R.
Vance
Jr., “The importance of getting the name right for transgender and other gender expansive youth
,” J. Adolescent Health
63
, 379
–380
(2018
).© 2020 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2020
American Association of Physics Teachers
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