In a first for the WCSJ, this meet-up will be an opportunity for lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) science writers to get together and share their experiences. Steve Silberman (author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity), will kick off with some reflections on his life and career as a gay science writer. Then we'll have an informal roundtable where anyone will be able to weigh in with whatever is on their mind. (Just listening is fine too.) A few topics we can imagine discussing: Have you faced discrimination, and how did you overcome it? Should queer science writers make themselves more visible, like queer scientists have done in recent years? As a science writer, do you focus on issues of particular interest to the LGBTQ community? To what extent can or should we be activists?
Straight, cis-gendered colleagues are welcome. We hope the session will be the start of an informal longer-term information and support network for LGBTQ science writers.