Meeting Abstract
LGBTQIA+ students in college biology classes often find their identities and experiences ignored or stigmatized, which can alienate these students from continuing to study biology and reaffirm harmful misconceptions about sex, gender, and sexuality for both these students and their heterosexual, cisgender peers. On a political and cultural level, the stigmatization and invalidation of queer, transgender, and intersex identities is often justified by appeals to the supposed biological immutability of sex binaries and the utility of heterosexual reproductive pairings. As scientists and educators, we have the opportunity to increase the inclusivity of our research, classrooms, and curricula by challenging these misconceptions while incorporating and exploring the diversity and complexity of sex, gender, and sexuality in human biology and across taxa. By developing intentional and inclusive biology classrooms and curricula, we can instill in our students an understanding that biology can serve as a source of empowerment for, rather than invalidation of, queer, transgender, and intersex individuals. Such efforts can play a crucial role in increasing retention of LGBTQIA+ students in the sciences and encourage innovative research on sex, gender, and sexuality across taxa.
