TY - JOUR
T1 - Queer voices in computational biology
T2 - the first ISCB LGBTQI+ Symposium
AU - Parra, R. Gonzalo
AU - Wass, Mark N.
AU - Munholland, Seth
AU - Wiper, Mallory L.
AU - Kovats, Diane
AU - Pantano, Lorena
AU - Dunbrack, Roland L.
N1 - © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - The first ISCB LGBTQI+ Symposium, held during Pride Month in 2024, marked a significant milestone for the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) community to promote diversity. This event aimed to provide a safe and supportive space for LGBTQI+ members of the society to share their experiences, address unique challenges in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and foster strategies for creating an equitable environment within ISCB. Through keynote presentations, short talks, and a roundtable discussion, participants explored topics such as minority stress, visibility, and the impact of role models. The symposium was rooted in a recognition of the historical and ongoing marginalization faced by LGBTQI+ individuals and sought to challenge systemic barriers while emphasizing the importance of community and representation. This article details the journey behind organizing the symposium, including overcoming the challenges of ensuring inclusivity and privacy, and highlights the profound impact of role models and collective action in advancing LGBTQI+ equity in science.
AB - The first ISCB LGBTQI+ Symposium, held during Pride Month in 2024, marked a significant milestone for the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) community to promote diversity. This event aimed to provide a safe and supportive space for LGBTQI+ members of the society to share their experiences, address unique challenges in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and foster strategies for creating an equitable environment within ISCB. Through keynote presentations, short talks, and a roundtable discussion, participants explored topics such as minority stress, visibility, and the impact of role models. The symposium was rooted in a recognition of the historical and ongoing marginalization faced by LGBTQI+ individuals and sought to challenge systemic barriers while emphasizing the importance of community and representation. This article details the journey behind organizing the symposium, including overcoming the challenges of ensuring inclusivity and privacy, and highlights the profound impact of role models and collective action in advancing LGBTQI+ equity in science.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85218120044&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/bioadv/vbae204
DO - 10.1093/bioadv/vbae204
M3 - Article
C2 - 39927293
AN - SCOPUS:85218120044
SN - 2635-0041
VL - 5
SP - vbae204
JO - Bioinformatics Advances
JF - Bioinformatics Advances
IS - 1
M1 - vbae204
ER -