Scripps Celebrates Pride Month

This month, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego celebrates Pride Month. Observed every June, Pride Month amplifies voices in the LGBTQIA+ community and recognizes the impact these individuals have had on the world. 

The month originated as a commemoration of the Stonewall riots, so named for an incident that took place in late June 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, when anti-gay police raids became violent and the LGBTQIA+ community fought back.

At that time, the community faced many hostilities from a legal system that criminalized homosexuality. The Stonewall riots were among the most important events leading up to the gay liberation movement. The following year, the first pride parade marches took place in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.  

In the decades that followed, the United States saw the development of progressive movements in other arenas of equality and inclusion. However, some LGBTQIA+ individuals in the sciences continue to face hurdles in inclusivity, forming support networks, and dealing with macro and micro aggressions. The community is also underrepresented in the geosciences.

Scripps joins UC San Diego in standing in solidarity with our queer community. To celebrate Pride Month, we interviewed several students, staff, and faculty about their work at Scripps, what this month means to them, and more. Read the Q&A below to learn how these individuals contribute to the success of our university and hear their ideas for creating a more inclusive environment at Scripps.

If you’re interested in becoming more involved in the LGBTQIA+ community at Scripps, please email Queer@Scripps leadership at leadership-queer-sio@ucsd.edu. This group meets regularly once a month. The UC San Diego LGBT Resource Center is also a diverse, open and public space for all members of the university community to explore issues relating to sexual and gender identities, practices and politics.
 

Hannah Adams, PhD student, she/her

How do you identify? How has your identity informed or impacted your career?
I am a cisgender bisexual woman. I also refer to myself generally as queer! Oftentimes, people don’t know that I’m queer unless I tell them, so I can often be invisible in these spaces, which can sometimes be a good thing and provides me some protection. However, my identity is often erased, so I try my best to be as visible as possible to create safe spaces for other queer folks in academia. I also try to focus on ways in which I can improve queer inclusivity to ensure that we are welcoming (within my lab group, my peers, etc.).

What is your role at Scripps?
I am a first year PhD student studying mercury biogeochemistry.

What does Pride Month mean to you?
Pride Month is a very special time for me. Before I realized I was queer, I attended Pride celebrations with my family and friends as allies, and attending these events were times when I truly felt happy. As I have started coming out and appreciating my queer identity, these events have become more significant to me. While Pride is a celebration of being queer, it is also a time to remember the activists that came before us. I also take time to think about how I can better myself and push for inclusivity for all queer folks in my spheres of influence!

What advice do you have for the next generation of LGBTQ+ scientists, or those who are still discovering their identity?
My advice for those still discovering their identity is to not ignore the feeling that you are “different.” Nurture that feeling, and find ways to explore it. Find community, read books, and learn about queer identities to find people with common feelings and experiences as you. Your feelings and your identity are valid!

How can Scripps support the queer community? What cultural changes would you like to see in the Scripps community?
The Scripps community and geosciences in general has a ways to go to become more inclusive. People are still misgendered, deadnamed (the use of the birth or other former name of a transgender or non-binary person without the person's consent), and fieldwork/conferences can be an unsafe environment for many of us. We need to work on creating a diversity training focused on queer identities, use more inclusive language in all areas, and include queer folks in EDI discussions and policies. We also need more data on queer folks in geosciences! Quantifying the community can help to improve visibility and conditions for queer folks. Queer identities are often invisible and are intersectional with other identities, however our challenges are unique as gender and sexual minorities. There are simple ways for individuals to be more inclusive, such as reducing gendered language, asking for pronouns (and using/respecting them!), and not making assumptions about identities. Although there is a lot of work to be done, I am inspired by the students in our community and our desire to push for a more welcoming environment for marginalized communities.

Austin Carter, PhD Student, he/him/his

How do you identify? How has your identity informed or impacted your career?
I identify as a gay man. Growing up gay was extremely isolating. How do you reconcile the weight of an identity that has been both criminalized and pathologized for centuries? Battling this alone at a young age results in debilitating shame. As an undergraduate student, I was heavily involved in research but never met an “out” LGBTQ+ professor. Without appropriate role models, I nearly left academia. Now, I hope to use my platform as a PhD student and aspiring professor to be both visible and vulnerable with my identity. By being authentic in expressing myself, I hope to encourage students to see a future for themselves in the geosciences.

What is your role at Scripps? 
I’m a first-year PhD student advised by Sarah Aarons. At Scripps, I study mineral dust entrained in ice cores from Antarctica. By looking at the different chemistry, shape, and amount of mineral dust trapped in ice cores, we can understand more about what the earth’s surface conditions looked like in the past and hopefully paint a better picture of what they may look like in the future. I’m also one of the co-leads for Queer@Scripps where I hope to connect and foster community on campus.

What does Pride Month mean to you?
To me, Pride Month is about finding the courage and joy in being your authentic self. It’s about reclaiming the years lost to turmoil. It’s about honoring the history of queer activism that is often overlooked, erased, and revised. It’s about bringing awareness to the substance abuse, mental health issues, and homelessness that disproportionately affects the LGBTQ+ community. It’s about acknowledging that even queer spaces can be exclusionary especially towards those facing multiple layers of oppression. While social acceptance towards white gay men has increased, transphobia and racism remain insidious. There’s a lot to celebrate, but there’s also a lot of work to be done until queer liberation is fully achieved. Pride is an ongoing struggle.

What advice do you have for the next generation of LGBTQ+ scientists, or those who are still discovering their identity?
You are enough and you belong. It can feel really lonely at times, but you are most definitely not alone. Seek out other LGBTQ+ scientists who can help support you and provide insight. There is a lot of power in numbers. Being openly queer in academia and in life generally is extremely vulnerable, but I try to push myself to be as open as possible to make it easier for others who are still discovering their identity or not comfortable enough to assert it. It’s also important that you find an advisor who respects and values you as an individual and allows you to bring your whole self to your work.

How can Scripps support the queer community? What cultural changes would you like to see in the Scripps community?
In some ways, the geosciences broadly feels like it’s stuck in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era of queer politics. No one should ever feel forced to be out, but if there are more queer faculty at Scripps, their acquiescence may be evident of a larger structural issue. For that reason, it’s important that climate surveys are being conducted to assess department-wide silence and invisibility. I would love to see Scripps actively invite LGBTQ+ speakers, hire and promote already visible LGBTQ+ academics, and highlight the scientific contributions made by those in the community.

Moira Decima, Assistant Professor and Curator of the Pelagic Invertebrate Collection, she/ella

How do you identify? How has your identity informed or impacted your career?
I identify as queer. I didn't see a whole lot of other queer people back when I was going through university and my PhD. The lack of representation in that part of my identity (as well as others such as a Hispanic woman) did motivate me to return to academia to play an active role in making institutions more inclusive and diverse. Ultimately, it has led my career direction to change from a research-only focus to include mentoring and training of the next generation of (more diverse) oceanographers.

What is your role at Scripps?
I am a professor. I teach, mentor students, and conduct research. I am a seagoing scientist that focuses on zooplankton ecology, food-web dynamics and connections to biogeochemistry. I am also the incoming curator of the Pelagic Invertebrate Collection.

What does Pride Month mean to you?
Pride Month to me is a time to both reflect on the issues our community has and continues to face, as well as enhance our visibility. I think it can also spark critical conversations, as well as provide space for us to celebrate our identities.

What advice do you have for the next generation of LGBTQ+ scientists, or those who are still discovering their identity?
On one hand, my advice is the same as to any queer person, which is to find other people within the community, because it normalizes our experiences. I would also tell them to look into all the wonderful LGBTQ+ groups within organizations that exist and are growing, within these institutions. I would underscore the need to ensure the location/institutions where emerging STEM scientists plan to continue their training is friendly and open towards LGBTQ+ people, and that within these spaces their identities are free and safe to be expressed. And finally, in terms of advice to those discovering their identity, I want them to consider that it mostly gets better.

How can Scripps support the queer community? What cultural changes would you like to see in the Scripps community?
I really like the efforts of the Queer@Scripps group and the connections with upper campus, and the events that have been planned and are held. I can't speak much to cultural changes because I arrived during COVID so I don't know much about what has been going on. I was also too busy last quarter with teaching to attend the events, which was unfortunate for me.

Gene DePuy, MAS Marine Biodiversity and Conservation student, they/them/theirs

How do you identify? How has your identity informed or impacted your career?
I'm asexual and transmasculine/genderqueer. My identity has absolutely impacted my career in that I often don't receive basic respect in academic or formal settings—my pronouns are ignored or treated with hostility, and when I correct people I am seen as "creating a problem." So I often find myself pushed to the outskirts of conversations I might have otherwise been able to contribute to, treated as a diversity piece rather than as a team member, or find myself looking for academic and work environments where I will be respected rather than based on my actual interests and abilities. On the flipside, it's very easy to quickly determine whether the people in a work or academic setting are open to diversity, ways of thinking and being that challenge the stereotypes of Western thought, and dismantling oppressive systems—which are all a must in building a climate-resilient world as well as an inclusive one.

What is your role at Scripps?
I am a student in the Master of Advanced Studies Marine Biodiversity and Conservation program. I'm interested in the field of climate change adaptation and mitigation studies and specifically I focus on how researchers and institutions can best serve the needs of those most impacted by climate change effects.

What does Pride Month mean to you?
To me, Pride Month is a time to remember the history and struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as to look toward the future. I often remind myself that there is so much more work to be done, and it can feel overwhelming because I don't see the benefits of my work many times, but someone else will. There will be another trans student who does not receive the microaggressions I have because I was here to teach better allyship and push the ball forward. Pride Month to me is a time to celebrate each other and acknowledge the work we as a community have done for each other, do every day, and will continue to do.

What advice do you have for the next generation of LGBTQ+ scientists, or those who are still discovering their identity?
Find your community and support network as early as you can. Maybe you come to your degree pathway with a group of friends outside of it, or maybe you're looking for new people at the same time. Do what you can to establish a support system outside of the office/academic environment so that you have a safe and recharging space with people you trust.

How can Scripps support the queer community? What cultural changes would you like to see in the Scripps community?
Implementing a mandatory diversity and inclusion training for faculty is critical. In my experience, most people at Scripps are willing to learn, but they don't know how and commit micro (and macro) aggressions along the way. Giving faculty a baseline to grow from is an absolute must.

On a longer timeline, gender-inclusive bathrooms would be nice—walking across campus for the gender neutral bathroom means missing valuable class time! Providing resources up front to queer students (such as the mailing list for Queer@Scripps, the upper-campus LGBT Resource center, etc.), and being mindful of queer students' needs in general.

John Semerau, Scripps Safety Officer, he/him

How do you identify? How has your identity informed or impacted your career?
Mostly I identify as me, that is John. Or if you prefer a nickname; Ian, Jay, or Coyote—these are all the names that people have called me over the years, since John is so common.  

Not to be glib, but I always like to start with that…I am just a man like anyone else. Now, if someone asks me who I like to spend my time with, I will always say I prefer the company of men. Although at times that has not necessarily been the case and is very complicated for me.  So I would say that right now I am on on the ‘queer side of the Kinsey scale’. If I get a sense that someone is trying to pigeonhole me or identify me just by who I chose to spend quality time with, I always tell them that I am ‘whatever offends them the most.’ 

I spent most of my time in the Bay Area and my identity was mostly irrelevant and did not impact my career one bit. In the Bay Area for the most part,  people do not make heteronormative assumptions like they do in San Diego.

What is your role at Scripps?
I am the Scripps Safety Officer. I am also the Environment Health and Safety Officer (EH&S) and can answer or get answers to all things EH&S. I also work with Central Campus EH&S personnel on many issues ranging from laboratory safety issues to sidewalk conditions and security issues. And of course I am involved with sustainability issues here at Scripps, including organizing the Sustainability Symposium in April, working with the sustainability committee and providing suggestions for functional groups that are more sustainable and less carbon-intensive.

What does Pride Month mean to you?
Gotta say, sometimes I am ambivalent about the whole thing, but other times I really enjoy it. At pride events I got to see Sandra Bernhardt and Cyndi Lauper and Erasure all from about six feet away in performance and they were spectacular and real. So that’s nice. The parade—eh, not so much.

What advice do you have for the next generation of LGBTQ+ scientists, or those who are still discovering their identity?
Be yourself. Be fierce. Be humble. Assume the best in people, plan for the worst. Read about the Shoah.

How can Scripps support the queer community? What cultural changes would you like to see in the Scripps community?
Scripps can be supportive by messaging that we are a diverse, varied awesome group. Allow people to be NOT what you expected. We are better if we are all surprised by life sometimes. 

I would like to see Scripps support a standing annual presentation along the lines of ‘Diversity of gender and behaviors found in ocean life.’ Basically, a presentation on the wonderful variation of behaviors found in the ocean kingdoms. E.g., Fish that change sex, non-heteronormative behaviors and/or ‘All the questions you had about snuggling behaviors in the ocean, but were too busy to know about.’