LGBT+ Role Models at Warwick University
Picture: 漏 University of Warwick
175 minutes for chemistry
Ross Jaggers, a chemistry PhD student at the University of Warwick, spent well over 175 minutes compiling , a collection of profiles of LGBTUA+ students, staff and alumni who have chosen to share their experiences of Warwick.
Ross completed his MChem at the University of York before embarking on a PhD at the University of Warwick, where he is now in his third year. He works in the , which uses colloidal chemistry to control the functionality of innovative materials.
He got the idea for Role Models during the 2015 , which explored the importance of sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace, and how positive role models can have a big impact.
鈥淚 want to make it clear that Warwick values the freedom to be yourself whoever you are, and that it is proud of its LGBT+ community, from undergraduate students to senior management鈥�, he explains. 鈥淏y sharing the stories of some of the inspirational LGBTUA+ individuals of Warwick, we hope to demonstrate that diversity makes us stronger.
"From senior management, to professors, to students, you can find examples of strong role models in this guide. They show that having the confidence to be yourself and being the very best at what you do matters.鈥�
"At Warwick, we鈥檙e lucky to have a few of these role models, but in the broader scientific community there is a lack of prominent LGBT+ role models and, as a result, many people who identify as LGBT+ do not feel that they can be 鈥榦ut鈥� at work (in fact, this is true across a range of careers).
"Whilst many would argue that your personal life is irrelevant to your work, a workplace where someone might feel too uncomfortable to tell their colleagues about their partner, for example, can be toxic. A way to combat this is to normalise issues of gender identity and sexual orientation, so that incoming staff and students know that they can comfortably be themselves.
Chemist Ross Jaggers led the Role Models project Picture: 漏 University of Warwick
"I鈥檓 comfortable enough being 鈥榦ut鈥� in the workplace, however of the LGBT+ people I know, relatively few are chemists. I鈥檓 lucky enough to have been taught by openly gay professors at both York and Warwick and as a result, found it easier to disclose my own sexual identity to my colleagues and peers.
"For me, being myself at work is better for me and better for my colleagues 鈥� in this case that鈥檚 me being open about having a boyfriend and being able to tell my colleagues about it. The question is, is everyone at Warwick comfortable enough to behave in the same way? Can the university, as an employer and education provider, assume that every person that works, lives and socialises on this campus feels comfortable enough to be open with those around them?"
In creating the guide, Ross has had support from across the university, including from the Registrar and Vice Chancellor鈥檚 office, the equality and diversity team, internal communications, student communications and the Warwick Students鈥� Union. "I鈥檓 thankful for the colleagues and peers who have stepped forward and shared their stories with Warwick", he says. "They include chemistry professors, students and support staff, our registrar, alumni, and even two of our chaplains. The chemistry department has also been fully supportive of this initiative and are proud of their staff and students who have featured in the guide."
The guide was launched at an event that brought together representatives from local and national LGBT+ charities, members of the local police and fire services, heads of departments, university management, teaching staff, representatives of the Students鈥� Union and students.
"Hopefully staff and students will see that inclusion and diversity matters to Warwick, and together we can support other groups in our community," concludes Ross. "I can envisage a project dedicated to role models with disabilities or role models of ethnic minorities being equally as powerful 鈥� both of these groups face their own diversity and inclusion problems, let alone those with intersectional identities (overlapping identities, for example someone who is LGBT+ and disabled)."
"We鈥檝e had good feedback from both inside and outside the LGBTUA+ community. It鈥檚 been wonderful to see all corners of the university come together to celebrate this message."
Read the full guide, with stories from across Warwick University, .
1 J. B. Yoder, A. Mattheis, Journal of Homosexuality, 2016, Volume 63, Issue 1, 1-27 2
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