By Jen Tuttle Parsons 

Out-of-school informal STEM learning environments can provide rich and enlightening opportunities for visitors to experience the wonder of scientific discovery. Consider your first visit to a museum or science center. Do you remember stepping into a world of possibility where seemingly magical phenomena are presented as “SCIENCE!” or were you unsure of the rules for visiting that space? Was there a knowledgeable adult there who appreciated your curiosity or was your enthusiasm dampened by authority? Did you feel that your culture, identity, and sense of self was represented among the exhibits? 

Science centers and museums are increasingly focused on addressing diversity, equity, access, and inclusion of marginalized communities. These groups and individuals are underrepresented in STEM learning environments due to colonialism, racism, sexism, and the heteronormativity of dominant cultures. 

Broadening the participation of underrepresented communities in STEM education is crucial to supporting a diverse and inclusive scientific culture. Inclusion enriches STEM fields with a variety of perspectives and lived experiences that are inherently valuable to STEM practice. Diversity fosters collaborative research and facilitates creative responses to the challenges in an increasingly complex society. For students of STEM, Martín-Páez et al. identify “cognitive,” “procedural,” and “attitudinal” benefits (2019, 813). This suggests that STEM literacies empower individuals with the resilience to solve problems and utilize their knowledge and skills across multiple contexts. Exclusion from STEM learning is a failure of justice. 

Informal STEM learning environments like science centers and museums are designed for “expected” visitors and when minoritized groups do not participate, leadership often defines the “problem” as situated within the groups themselves rather than with the institution (Garibay and Teasdale 2019). STEM inclusion research has examined how the field addresses issues of equity and access for nondominant populations, defined as “social groups who historically have not held positions of legal or economic power” (Bevan et al. 2018, 26). 

The National Research Council acknowledges that a person’s identity, along with their prior interest and knowledge, is vital to learning in these informal environments (National Research Council 2009). The identities of Black, indigenous, and other communities of color are frequently marginalized within informal science education. Interest in addressing the gender gap in STEM careers has led to studies targeting access for women and girls. Another subdivision of research addresses how STEM education routinely fails to fully engage individuals with disabilities (Rappolt-Schlichtmann and Daley 2013). Recent surveys suggest that LGBTQ+ identity serves as a “clear axis of inequality in STEM” (Cech and Waidzunas 2021, 1). If informal STEM learning institutions are to be a driving force for access and inclusion, confronting the inequities across a spectrum of underrepresented identities should be a priority. 

There is a distinct scarcity of research exploring how informal STEM education and learning environments address inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community. Considering the movement of museums and science centers to introduce diversity initiatives that broaden the participation of other marginalized groups, it is beneficial to learn more about the unique experiences and challenges of LGBTQ+ people in these spaces. 

As a museum director guiding the renovation and reimagination of a STEM-focused discovery museum in Appalachian Ohio, I sought to follow inclusive practices and learn from emergent initiatives. Asking the question, “What can informal STEM learning institutions do to welcome the LGBTQ+ community?” provided a starting point for both my professional and academic pursuits. An in-depth exploration of literature on my PhD pathway revealed limited research investigating LGBTQ+ inclusion in STEM learning spaces. I found inspiration in the New Science exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences. This exhibit celebrates the contributions of LGBTQ+ women and gender minorities in STEMM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine). Considering the lack of similar exhibits in science-centric institutions, I traveled to San Francisco to experience the exhibit and to speak to those who helped to create it. 

Entering the exhibit halls, I registered a profound sense of academic gravitas. The architecture and design of the Academy establishes a respectful and scholarly approach to learning; a deep appreciation of history is evident from the curation of exhibits within the space. Modern institutional mission and values, a commitment to both sustainability and to regeneration of the natural world, are prominently displayed on large format signs. Exhibits exploring the wonder of the natural world are interwoven with a photography gallery drawing attention to global ecological concerns. Spending time in the exhibits suggested that the leaders of this science center were aware of a shifting social landscape and the impact of the climate crisis on both scientific research and the lives of their collaborative partners. 

The New Science exhibit is located within one of the large exhibit spaces, a series of eight panels exploring the narratives of eleven LGBTQ+ professionals. The curators, with input from an advisory panel selected individuals—queer, community of color, transgender, disabled—to highlight the intersectional nature of their identities and to challenge the notion that scientific communities are white, male, and heteronormative. 

Experiencing an exhibit that genuinely celebrated LGBTQ+ identity in a highly esteemed scientific space brought me a sense of queer joy that was unexpected and overwhelming. I felt gratitude that these scientists and doctors were able to express their whole selves, honoring their identities in a way that was lost for so many of our queer elders. 

Through interviews with staff and visitors to the museum, I recognized that others were feeling the significance of seeing LGBTQ+ STEMM professionals celebrated in their community. One graduate student spoke of what it felt like to see the New Science exhibit for the first time. “It is a big thing to know that the museum’s values align with my values, both as a scientist and as a person.” A visitor mentioned that seeing LGBTQ+ scientists represented made them feel more welcome within the museum building. They shared that they typically look for signifiers in spaces such as gender-neutral bathrooms and staff who are allowed to openly express their individuality to demonstrate they will feel accepted within an institution. “This exhibit is unlike anything I’ve seen in a science museum.” Another museum colleague pointed out that in the current climate of museum work, “…there are so many things are changing, particularly around race and identity and queerness.  And LGBTQ identity is a really big part of that.” A guest who had only seen the exhibit once pointed out that the intersectionality present within the exhibit was memorable, but not surprising. “I think one of the things that the queer community stands for is an intersectionality of accessibility. And I think often…they’re looking out for other forms of diversity or accessibility.” 

One museum employee that I interviewed shared an anecdote of spending a bus ride home speaking with a museum-goer who had just seen the New Science exhibit. “They found out I work here and told me about visiting just to see the exhibit—this queer exhibit! I think about that interaction every day and…I think about the huge impact it has had on people who need it.” They compared seeing the exhibit each day at work as an affirmation of not only an acceptance of their identity, but a celebration of it. 

One of the co-creators of the New Science exhibit shared how motivating they found the process of collecting narratives from queer scientists to develop the exhibit. They expressed pride in the museum for extending the exhibit to include digital engagement through Google Arts and Culture and posts on the Academy’s Instagram account. Short video excerpts convey the scientists’ experiences, inviting the public to hear about their work in their own words. The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) hosts an IF/THEN Project Library online where organizations may access the New Science exhibit panels, artwork, and narratives. These resources are available to download cost-free for institutions to extend the exhibit’s reach to communities beyond its Academy home. The virtual components expanded the number of STEM professionals featured and significantly extended the reach of New Science. Within one month (June of 2021) the Arts and Culture feature had over 105,000 unique views. 

Despite the success and impact of the New Science exhibit on both the LGBTQ+ and informal STEM communities, there is more work to be done. Within the context of my research, one concern expressed by a fellow museum professional was how queerness is integrated throughout the science center, within its programs, situated in its policies, and through its other exhibits. “If there is a designated diversity area and that’s the only place that there’s diversity, I feel that can be considered performative. I would expect to see other exhibitions or interactives…where I would see LGBTQ representation there, too.” Another museum visitor considered that the exhibit itself may feel small in comparison with the grandiose larger scale exhibits throughout the science center. Should we consider this exhibit as just one small piece of a larger effort to improve and broaden representation, access, and equity in informal STEM educational spaces? Or is this an isolated incidence? 

As with most social change, movements toward equity and justice are often led by individuals who motivate organizational shifts. The employees who applied for the Lyda Hill Philanthropies grant and designed the exhibit were responding to needs they personally identified rather than institutional pressure. In informal STEM environments, these changes are usually only possible when resources are allocated, when space is available, and when an individual takes on the mental and emotional load of facilitating change. How can those in power smooth the path for institutional moves toward justice, equity, access, and inclusion? By centering queer voices throughout my research process, I aspired to further reflect on how identity interacts with access and equity in informal STEM learning environments. 

Through interviews, exhibit and signage audits, document analyses, and by adapting Dawson’s (2014) equity and access framework, I sought to establish strategies that prioritize the welcome and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in informal STEM learning environments. My social media audit revealed mostly positive responses to LGBTQ+ focused content on the California Academy’s social pages, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, suggesting that LGBTQ+ content could be a net positive addition to museum social posts. Examining each of the photos on signs throughout the museum yielded some useful data about who is represented and how they are portrayed within exhibits and throughout the space. Interviews with employees and museum visitors highlighted both successes and challenges in current practices. The integration of LGBTQ+ perspectives within exhibits and the creation of welcoming spaces is an ongoing process. The findings from this research not only affirm progress towards inclusion, but also provide a plan for implementing strategies that ensure learning environments, programs, and policies are welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. 

An organization’s institutional stance is comprised of decisions that are made, and how they are viewed and interpreted by the public. This represents the museum’s outward image, shaped by its exhibits, programs, signage, social media, and employees. To improve inclusivity, museums should evaluate their public-facing presence, ideally through the lens of an independent evaluator. Exhibit and policy audits, social media assessments, demographic statistics, and qualitative data from both employees and visitors provide comprehensive insights for analysis. Steps can then be taken to improve institutional stance toward the LGBTQ+ community. Without evaluation, institutions lack the necessary information to steer decisions toward equity and access. 

Improving representation was a common theme in both the existing literature and in interviews with participants. The Lyda Hill Philanthropies IF/THEN Initiative, funder of the New Science Exhibit, derives its name from the concept, “IF she can see it, THEN she can be it” (ifthenexhibit.org 2023). Featuring STEMM professionals who embrace their intersectional LGBTQ+ identity celebrates diversity within scientific practice, a core principle of the exhibit. Museums can use this as a starting point for improving representation throughout their institution, beginning with signage and exhibits, continuing through representative policies, and in intentional representation throughout all levels of leadership. 

Informal STEM education offers opportunities to disrupt systems that perpetuate inequity. Research points to many approaches that broaden participation and engagement in STEM education. Yet, museums and science centers often lag behind the need for inclusive and representative content, exhibits, and programs. New Science represents the type of exhibit that can improve representation for a diverse STEMM community while pushing back on the stereotype that scientists are cis white straight men. This exhibit serves as a model for informal STEM institutions, challenging and inspiring others to represent and celebrate LGBTQ+ contributions while shaping a more inclusive future for STEM education. 

REFERENCES 

Bevan, Bronwyn, Angela Calabrese Barton, Cecilia Garibay, Melissa Ballard, and Jamie Bell. 2018. “Access Isn’t Enough.” Dimensions 20, no. 4 (September/October): 26. https://www.astc.org/astc-dimensions/access-isnt- enough/ 

Cech, Erin A., and Tom J. Waidzunas. 2021. “Systemic Inequalities for LGBTQ Professionals in STEM.” Science Advances 7, no. 3 (January). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv. abe0933 

Dawson, Emily. 2014. “Equity in Informal Science Education: Developing an Access and Equity Framework for Science Museums and Science Centres.” Studies in Science Education 50, no. 2 (September): 209–47. https://doi.org/1 0.1080/03057267.2014.957558 

Garibay, Cecilia, and Rebecca M. Teasdale. 2019. “Equity and Evaluation in Informal STEM Education.” New Directions for Evaluation 2019, no. 161 (March): 87–106. https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.20352 

#IfThenSheCan – the Exhibit. 2023. If/Then Digital Exhibit Companion. https://ifthenexhibit.org/about/ 

Martín-Páez, Tobías, David Aguilera, Francisco Javier Perales-Palacios, and José Miguel Vílchez-González. 2019. “What Are We Talking about When We Talk about STEM Education? A Review of Literature.” Science Education 103, no. 4 (April): 799–822. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21522 

National Research Council. 2009. Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. Philip Bell, Bruce Lewenstein, Andrew W. Shouse, and Academies Press. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The National Academies Press, January 14, 2009. https://doi.org/10.17226/12190. 

Rappolt-Schlichtmann, Gabrielle, and Samantha G. Daley. 2013. “Providing Access to Engagement in Learning: The Potential of Universal Design for Learning in Museum Design.” Curator: The Museum Journal 56, no. 3 (July): 307-321). https://doi.org/10.1111/cura.12030. 

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