Launching Queer in Robotics [Women in Engineering]

Abstract

Queer individuals face significant obstacles in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and computing, including high levels of harassment and professional limitations [1] , but only some of these STEM fields have been recently promoting the integration and welcoming of people with queer identities to increase representation and inclusion. ( Queer is used here as an umbrella term for those who do not identify as heterosexual or cisgender, often labeled the LGBTQIA+ community.) This situation drove the creation of organizations like Queer in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Queer in Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) that study and monitor the inclusion of queer people and provide safe and welcoming spaces within their respective scientific communities. Initial studies performed by these organizations found areas for their fields to improve. Queer in HCI studies indicated that queer people face significant pressures and barriers not experienced by all HCI researchers [2] . Queer in AI demographic surveys showed that 67% of the group’s members faced at least one safety incident in 2021, 79.9% of its members reported mental health issues that impaired their ability to conduct research, and 77.4% of its members struggled with a lack of community that they could rely on [3] . Other challenges include inaccessibility to conferences, due to local discrimination toward queer people; lack of tailored academic support; inflexible name change policies; and lack of representation [4] . Both Queer in AI and Queer in HCI have shed light on these issues while increasing the level of involvement and feeling of belonging of the queer communities in their respective research fields, benefits that we would like to see extended to the robotics community.