Research on LGBTQ+ Physics Student Experiences in California

As the physics education community continues to push for more equitable classroom and academic practices, there is a need for more explicit attention to the experiences of LGBTQ+ physics students. This ongoing study strives to better understand LGBTQ+ students’ experiences in college via interviews with LGBTQ+ undergraduate and graduate students across multiple higher education institutions in California. Interviews focus on students’ perceptions of physics as a major for LGBTQ+ people, their support systems, and ways that their identities (LGBTQ+ and others) have affected their college careers. Preliminary results of emerging themes from interviews and potential takeaways will be shared. The emergent themes include: the importance of faculty student connections, LGBTQ+ physics students’ perception of physics culture in different spaces, the role of passive and active signaling for LGBTQ+ representation, and the impact of intersectional identities.