Future-ish: LGBT

Colonel Scott McLaughlin shares experience as open LGBT service member and leader in US Air Force | 446th Airlift Wing
Port Gamble S'Klallam comic book artist Jeffrey Veregge responds to Orlando tragedy: an NDN geek on 'hope' | Indian Country Today
Seattle's Fred Hutch hosts Rockstar Women in Science event June 22

Brian Sims is an American politician, policy attorney, and advocate for civil, women's, and LGBT rights. Sims is the first openly gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvania and the first (and so far only) openly gay college football captain in the NCAA when he was co-captain at Bloomsburg University in 2000. Sims is passionate about a broad range of LGBT issues and also happens to be an informed and enthusiastic advocate on environmental, diversity, and social justice issues.

Sims is the son of two Army Lieutenant Colonels and has lived in seventeen states, including Alaska, before settling in Pennsylvania. Sims received a BS in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University in 2001 and his J.D. Degree in International and Comparative law at Michigan State University College of Law in 2004.

Before his election to the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, Sims served as staff counsel for policy and planning at the Philadelphia Bar Association. He as also a member of the national campaign board of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia.

Sims is a frequent online contributor to The Huffington Post, The Advocate, and Philly.com and also appears regularly on MSNBC, NPR, and other media outlets. Sims currently is on the Boards of the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation and Campus Pride. He is also a member of GLSEN Sports Advisory Council and a participant in Nike's Sports Summit.

A Spectrum of Scientists, a Rainbow of Researchers

Discovering that visible light is made up of a spectrum of colors is one of the first and most inspiring things we learn in science. That same spectrum of colors is then used throughout many fields of science to help us understand our world.

To celebrate LGBT Pride Month (aka Gay Pride), we put together a post with information and resources by, for, and about the LGBTQA community and science, technology, engineering, and math (aka STEM). As far as we're concerned, there is and always be a little ROYGBIV in all science. Lucky for us, the world of STEM is as diverse as any other community.

Blogs
Queer in STEM

Conferences & Events
oSTEM Annual Conference | Nov 7-9, 2014 | Atlanta
Out to Innovate Summit | Nov 8-9, 2014 | Atlanta

General STEM
Out4STEM (Philadelphia)
oSTEM
Out in Tech
NOGLSTP

Field-Specific Resources
LGBTPM+ (UPenn Medicine)
Nuclear Pride (Nuclear Engineering)

Online Articles & Posts

Coley, I. 2013. Empowering LGBT Scientists. Equal Media Project.
Faulks, K. 2013. LGBT scientists find varying acceptance in academia, industry. Minnesota Daily.
Ford, D. 2013. LGBT Groups Collaborate to Boost Diversity in STEM Fields. Associations Now.
Jordan, H. 2014. Gays, Lesbians and Allies at Dow, PFLAG offer STEM scholarships. Michigan Live.
Koerth-Baker, M. 2010. . BoingBoing.
Palmer, R. 2012. Queer Science, From Alan Turing To Sally Ride. International Business Times.
Silberman, S. 2010. Coming Out in the Sciences: Part I—After 50 Years in the Lab, a Reproduction Expert Leaves the Closet. BoingBoing.
Smith, D. 2014. 'No sexuality please, we're scientists'. Chemistry World.
Underhill, V. 2013. Queer Science: LGBT Scientists Discuss Coming Out at Work. Bitch
Walker, C. 2014. Equality: Standing Out. Nature
Welton, T. 2014. Gay prejudice? It's not easy admitting you're … a scientist. The Guardian.
Yoder, J. 2011. Diversity in Science Carnival: Pride Month 2011. Denim and Tweed.

Are we missing something? Please do add a comment below or email us at StudioF/at/future-ish.com.

>> Looking for more rainbows? Check out our See Spectrum Project.

SeeSpectrum | Nike's #BETRUE Collection

Our SeeSpectrum project just got a little more fabulous. In June 2013, Nike launched their #BETRUE Collection in celebration of sport as a universal language. For nearly 15 years, Nike has partnered with the LGBT community to raise awareness of LGBT issues in athletics. All profits from the collection will be donated to the LGBT Sports Coalition to support the goal of ending discrimination in sports. The #BETRUE collection includes flip flops, tees, tanks, and an iPhone 5 case.

If that's not fab enough, the launch of #BETRUE coincides with Nike's 2013 LGBT Sports Summit, the second round of the annual event which brings together leaders from across the LGBT sports movement.

Culture Icon | Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres is an award-winning American actress, author, comedian, spokesperson, and television host. In addition to her extensive acting and comedy career, since 2003 she has hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show (aka "Ellen") which features celebrity interviews, musicians, new products, games, and many human-interest stories.

DeGeneres has won numerous awards, including Daytime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards, and People's Choice Awards. She has also hosted the Emmy and Academy Awards. DeGeneres received the Tulane President's Medal in 2009 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2012. She landed her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

DeGeneres and her partner, Portia de Rossi, are vegans and DeGeneres has regular segments on her show called "Ellen's Healthy Living" that feature tips and recipes for going vegan. She has raised awareness and money for issues ranging from animal rights and bullying to breast cancer and relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named DeGeneres a Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness in 2011.

The groupies of Studio F here at Future-ish are HUGE fans of DeGeneres for several reasons. She has had many STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) guests on her show ranging from actress Danika McKeller to young inventor Peyton Robertson. She also often highlights the work of outstanding teachers across the US which will always get a big gold star and an A+ from us. She is also an admirer of great design both on her show and in her personal life. Even more fabulous...DeGeneres came out publicly as a lesbian in 1997 and she has been an outspoken advocate and role model for the LGBT community ever since. She is a champion of diversity in every way and her sign-off for each show, "Be kind to one another!" has become a mantra here at Future-ish.

DeGeneres was named our Queen of The Smart Set for 2014.

PS. And yes...Ellen's occasional and outrageous guest DJ, Loni Love, was indeed our Queen of the Smart Set for 2013.

High Tech Catholics

2.13.11 - For Catholics around the world, preparing for confession just got a little easier. A new app guides them in preparing for confessional. Designed by Little iApps, Confession: a Roman Catholic App, facilitates a "personalized examination of conscience" and a step-by-step guide to preparing for the Rite of Penance. The app is Vatican approved but Vatican Spokesman Fedrico Lombardi did clarify that the app is only a tool to help prepare for the sacrament "the rites of penance require a personal dialogue between penitents and their confessor. It cannot be replaced by a computer application." The hope is that the app will help active Catholics practice their faith, as well as bring non-active Catholics back to the Church.

Like any development in the Catholic Church, this little tech revolution does not come without controversy. In an article in The Guardian, Jamie Doward and Gabriel Stargardter report on the response by LGBT advocates who refer to the app as "anti-gay spiritual abuse".

In any case, we here at Future-ish are eager to follow how faith, religion, and spirituality continue to progress, evolve, and adapt in the 21st century and beyond. You can follow this topic by clicking on the 'Future of Faith' label below.

Zack Wahls Defends Parents' Gay Marriage in Iowa Legislature

In February 2011, 6th generation Iowan and University of Iowa engineering student Zach Wahls made headlines by defending gay marriage in a session the Iowa House of Representatives. Speaking out against a resolution in Iowa that would end civil unions, Wahls, described his experience growing up as the son of two female partners. He relayed that his family is like any other Iowa family, they go to church together, he is an Eagle Scout, and he studies hard to do well in school. Regarding his accomplishments, Wahls pointed out to the leader of the session, "If I was your son, Mr. Chairman, I believe I would make you very proud," he said. Wahls ended his testimony with this...

"In my 19 years not once have I ever been confronted by an individual who realized independently that I was raised by a gay couple," he said. "And you know why? Because the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character."

Wahls testimony is sure to add new energy, thoughts, and insights to the discussions of both gay marriage and LGBT parenthood. Wahls also authored an opinion piece in the Daily Iowan on the topic in September of 2010.

Watch Wahl's testimony here: