LGBTQ+ Pride Month: FASEB Celebrates Leaders Making a Difference

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

LGBTQ+ Pride Month came into existence to honor the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion in New York City, which is considered the birth of the LGBTQ movement.  Since then, June has been used as a platform to continuously celebrate and highlight the many accomplishments made by the LGBTQ+ community.

Throughout our nation’s history, there are countless examples of individuals in the LGBTQ+ community who have made significant contributions to science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine.  The following individuals are a small sample of those who have secured their place in U.S. history:

• Louise Pearce, MD (1885-1959), a physician and pathologist, was part of a team that developed tryparsamide to treat African sleeping sickness.

• Margaret Mead, PhD (1901-1978), an influential anthropologist and President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1975, helped pioneer a greater understanding for the natural variety of sexual behaviors that occur in human societies.

• Bruce Voeller, PhD (1934- 1994), a biologist and AIDS researcher, pioneered the use of nonoxynol-9 as a spermacide and topical virus-transmission preventative.

FASEB recognizes there are countless additional examples to share of the contributions made by scientists from underrepresented communities beyond LGBTQ+ Pride Month. In our continued effort to drive diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in the biomedical research community, FASEB is highlighting our society members from historically underrepresented communities throughout the year.  If you are interested in sharing your story, please contact Debbie Bouyer.