About
Our Mission
The Rainbow Quartz Network connects LGBTQ+ students to their
LGBTQ+ peers, advisors, professionals, and allies within the earth sciences to
encourage aspiring minority scientists in the United States.
Our Vision
All earth scientists actively involved in promoting
diversity and inclusion within academia and industry.
The Beginnings
Imagine being more scared to come out in your department
than to your own family.
This was the case for Rainbow Quartz Network’s founder.
Attending school in a geology department where they were the only out
transgender student was isolating. Fears of being seen as a less legitimate
scientist if they came out in their department loomed more than passing or
failing their classes. When they did come out, they did a fair amount of the
teaching to well-meaning but unaware faculty on how to use their pronouns, and
was many of the faculty’s first experience with openly LGBTQ+ students.
After moving to a new school with an openly LGBTQ+ faculty
member and more experience under their belt, our founder was much more
confident in their identity and ability as a scientist. But in the process of
helping a peer come out in the department, they realized that not every LGBTQ+
student will have the benefit of supportive faculty and peers when realizing
their own identity.
On a Wider Scale
At professional conferences, very few official opportunities
to network with other LGBTQ+ scientists exist. The two largest geological
organizations in the United States, the American Geophysical Union and the
Geological Society of America, have no official LGBTQ+ representative to assist
students in connecting with each other. Connections with LGBTQ+ advisors or allies
in the earth sciences are often by chance, leading to gaps in connection. Many
LGBTQ+ students have fears about entering departments and companies with
hostile attitudes towards LGBTQ+ individuals, especially as they enter graduate
and industry-level stages in their lives.
No student should have to live in fear of their peers and
advisors. Every student deserves equal opportunity to be connected to peers and
advisors who are informed and sympathetic to the joys and struggles of being
LGBTQ+. To support these students, and LGBTQ+ scientists already in the field,
the Rainbow Quartz Network has two major initiatives that we need your help
with.
Mentorship and Allyship
The first initiative is an LGBTQ+ earth science mentorship
program. This will allow LGBTQ+ students to be connected to at least one other
student or mentor who is familiar with being LGBTQ+ and being an earth sciences
student. The second initiative is allyship development within academic and
professional environments through education initiatives. This is necessary to
maintaining and promoting mentorship and collaboration within the earth
sciences community that is understanding and accepting of LGBTQ+ diversity.
To promote these initiatives, we need volunteers willing to mentor
LGBTQ+ students, volunteers to help develop and teach our workshops, and
donations to allow our work to spread across the country. If you are interested
in our cause, please visit our Initiatives page.