![]() | |
Founded | 2016 |
---|---|
Founders | Alfredo Carpineti, Chris Carpineti, Matt Young |
Legal status | Charitable trust |
Website | prideinstem |
Pride in STEM is a UK-based charity supporting LGBT+ scientists internationally, co-founded in 2016[1][2] by Alfredo Carpineti, a senior staff writer and space correspondent at IFLScience,[3][4] his husband Chris, and Matt Young, a researcher at the University of Nottingham.[1] Its origins, prior to registration as a charitable trust, were as a marching group for the parade at Pride in London.[5] Ben Britton, one of the organisation's trustees, wrote in 2019 that the organisation's "informal mantra is to queer up science spaces and science up queer spaces".[6] "STEM" is an acronym for "science, technology, engineering and maths/medicine".[1]
The organisation organises a series of events called "Out Thinkers", first held in 2016,[7] at which LGBT+ scientists discuss their life and work.[8] Events in the series have been held at the British Science Festival,[9] at Imperial College London,[10] at the Science Museum, London, and at the Cambridge Science Festival.[8] The first international Out Thinkers event was held in 2018.[7]
They were responsible, along with two other British Isles-based organisations, for organising the first LGBTSTEM Day, which was held on 5 July 2018,[11][12] which promotes visibility and awareness of LGBT+ people in the sciences.[13] The event was supported by the Royal Astronomical Society, Institute of Physics,[11] and the Royal Society of Chemistry.[14]
The following year, nine groups (including Pride in STEM) were involved in organising the day, again on 5 July, with fifty organisations reported to be supporting it.[15] In 2020, the day will instead be held on 18 November, to mark the 60th anniversary of astronomer Frank Kameny's petition to the United States Supreme Court, in a case prompted by his dismissal from the US Army as a result of his sexual orientation.[16]
Pride in STEM has marched as part of Pride in London's march in 2016, 2017, 2018[17] and 2019.[18]
In 2017, the organisation was nominated for the Barbara Burford Gay Times Honour for excellence in STEM.[19]
The journal Nature announced its support for the organisation in 2019.[20]