Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation refers to a person's enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, both genders or neither gender. It's a complex and personal aspect of individual identity that is shaped by biological, psychological, and social factors.
Challenges faced in STEM
According to the LGBTQ+STEM Day, among their many struggles, we see that 28% of LGBTQ+ people have at some point considered leaving their jobs because of a hostile workplace or discrimination towards them. 20% of trans people had often considered leaving (2019 Exploring The Workplace For LGBT+ Physical Scientists), which is an abysmally high number.
One in three physicists in America has been urged to stay in the closet to progress in their career. Half of the transgender or gender non-conforming physicists were harassed in their own departments (2015 American Physical Society survey). Gay and bisexual students are less likely to follow an academic career (2018 Coming out in STEM: Factors affecting retention of sexual minority STEM students). To these statistics, we need to add barriers and issues specific to other underrepresented groups, which create a much bigger challenge for people with intersectional identities.
Sexual orientation-based discrimination has zero-tolerance at CERN. We respect diversity and understand the importance of creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected regardless of their sexual orientation.