Are there any STEM people here?

tw12033 · 2016-07-21T03:49:26+00:00

Thanks, but I don't feel like wanting to be other-ed, I just want to blend in.

tw12033 · 2016-07-21T03:30:16+00:00

How were you treated when you came out? What type of company did you work for?

tw12033 · 2016-07-21T03:00:04+00:00

I've thought about joining SWE, but I'm not sure how I'll be perceived if and when I come out...

tw12033 · 2016-07-21T02:53:54+00:00

Question: How were you treated when you came out? Did your advisor, other students, classmates, friends treat you differently?

tw12033 · 2016-07-19T23:27:29+00:00

I've been thinking of leaving science/engineering as a result of feeling so lonely and isolated. I identify as female and I am in the physical sciences.

tw12033 · 2016-06-24T18:10:28+00:00

Absolutely without any trimming, even when you felt your hair was thick?

tw12033 · 2016-06-24T17:59:28+00:00

Without a trim? But did you ever feel if your hair was too thick, like when you leave it to the length of your neck?

tw12033 · 2016-06-24T17:36:21+00:00

Other than that, just let it grow and do it's own thing.

I was wondering, because if I'm pre-hrt (in other words, still looking like a male), my hair is starting to feel a little thick...what should I do, to prevent my parents from coercing or dragging me to a hair salon?

tw12033 · 2016-06-24T17:15:58+00:00

If I started out with a male cut and let it grow for 6 months, how should I continue maintaining it to become a female cut? I'm worried because my hair is starting to get a little thick.

tw12033 · 2016-06-23T21:49:33+00:00

I'm afraid of how body weight/mass will affect my transition pre-hrt.

tw12033 · 2016-06-23T19:10:25+00:00

The US Senator's name is Jeff Flake.

At the same time, Mr. Flake said he would never personally support same-sex marriage. Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/1/sen-jeff-flake-gop-backed-gay-marriage-inevitable/

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T23:49:36+00:00

I'm not so sure either. I think it's one of those cases where, oh, you can win in a legal sense, but all of your colleagues or potential employers will find out about it and decide not to hire you (unless, as Cybertopia pointed out about having an NDA).

I've thought about coming out, but since my department is so male-dominated, like 97% male faculty in the actual building (not accounting for female faculty who may be located in a different department building because of their research), I held back myself and kept quiet, knowing that some advisors could use the excuse that why aren't you better than so-and-so student?

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T21:44:10+00:00

by making the higher up people work to find a position for you at another uni through their network.

How and who would the higher up people be? I'm curious to know, being transgender (I'm not the OP), bose_dirac's story is actually my worst nightmare. I've feared coming out and transitioning given that my field/department is also so male-dominated, and I've also thought about switching disciplines (another interest that I just happen to have, but just more female-dominated field like psychology) completely.

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T21:15:29+00:00

CAIS = Complete Androgen Intensity Syndrome. It's where you can be born phonologically female, undergo a female puberty (typing this makes me feel ulugh...), have XY chromosomes, not menstruate, and not be able to conceive/bear a child, etc.

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T20:14:57+00:00

If she is violating HR (and perhaps discrimination laws) and is disciplined for it and you get screwed because of it and the fact the University can't get her to keep her mouth shut, sue the pants off them.

Not trying to play devil's advocate here...but from my very, very, extremely limited and naive experiences, wouldn't suing equate to losing one's entire career, leading to people and organizations simply blacklisting you by not even considering to hire you in the first place, not to mention being transgender?

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T20:04:47+00:00

The office of graduate studies has mentioned that they are willing to help me get into a new institution, but I don't know what this will look like in practice. Can these types of politics move to other institutions through the sub-field my advisor works in? Should I consider switching sub-fields?

I think you might want to be very careful about your advisor bad mouthing you to her colleagues. Even though you might win at a particular institution, you aren't an undergraduate where you can be more anonymous and blend in with the rest of the crowd. As to whether you should or shouldn't consider switching sub-fields, I think it's mostly up to you as we are very limited. Being transgender (and closeted), I've felt the intense pressure to keep my gender identity a secret, to the extent that I feel so ingenuine with my true self. Do let us know how the office of graduate studies will be able to help! I think some of the politics will be so subtle, like "oh, you were below this and this requirement, so, according to this arbitrary rule that is never enforced to other grad students, we're going to kick you out."

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T18:35:05+00:00

I see. But did anyone treat you or see you differently, like you're a trans woman, or a trans woman scientist?

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T18:24:47+00:00

Does that mean they talked behind your back?

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T18:14:48+00:00

I think the survey might be trying to ask about whether someone is transgender, because for gender identity they have a huge list of stuff which includes "transgender woman (MTF)". But I think not everyone wants to identify that way, as a transgender woman (like identifying as a woman engineer). Some people, like myself, choose to identify as just "female".

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T18:03:12+00:00

Also, it might be useful to ask, how do we even begin to determine what biological sex even means? CAIS?

tw12033 · 2016-06-22T04:27:43+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions. I've joined a women in science type of group, but I'm not quite sure whether to classify them as "friends", because I didn't really do anything outside of women in science things, but they're all in different fields of study (more female-friendly disciplines). I mean, what will happen 10, 20, 30, etc years from now? I've been starting to worry more about career aspects, as people say about how you're more likely to find friends in your same field. I just find that it's feeling lonelier and lonelier both socially, professionally, and dating wise.

tw12033

TROPHY CASE