Pride in Life Sciences
This Pride Month, four staff and students share their experiences of being part of Imperial’s LGBTQ+ community
“My experiences have shaped who I am today - a dedicated researcher and a queer woman”
Katarina Jovic
Katarina Jovic is a PhD student in the Department of Life Sciences.
"I’m from a small town in Croatia. After I was born, my parents decided to move to the UK - they came with one suitcase and a six-month-old baby (me). I grew up in a culturally mixed environment: British outside of home but Croatian/Serbian at home. This was, and still is, a challenging aspect when it comes to my sexuality.
My sexuality had never been something I thought of in depth until about four years ago, when I realised I was a queer, bisexual woman. Coming from a Balkan background isn’t the easiest environment to be out and open in because being queer isn’t widely understood or accepted.
I have been in situations where people have been very awkward and discriminatory about the queer community. This has made it hard to come out and be my ‘true self’; I've found that I have been masking myself when I’m around people who have a very traditional way of thinking, purely because I don’t know what will happen if they were to find out. This anxiety with coming out has made it difficult for me to express myself in communities that I know are safe, such as Imperial.
“When I first joined Imperial, for my Master’s degree, very few people knew of my sexuality and even fewer were aware that I was, and still am (Olivia don’t panic!), in a same-sex relationship. However, because of how inclusive and welcoming the Imperial community can be, I started learning that Imperial is a safe space where I don’t need to hide parts of myself.
I would like to take some time to focus on one aspect of my Imperial life, which is my involvement with the Imperial Women’s Football Club. I joined ICWFC with no real intention other than to kick a ball around a pitch, and to reignite my passion for football that had left me when I was a kid (surrounded by boys who thought girls couldn’t kick a ball- oh they were so wrong!)
Being a member of ICWFC quickly became a very comfortable part of my life, where I was able to fully express myself (my girlfriend even started coming to cheer us on from the sidelines).
I think my involvement with ICWFC, as well as beginning to attend events that Imperial 600 host, has taught me a lot about how to navigate my sexuality and that the challenges I experience are common and can be overcome; it is also probably a big reason for me writing this extract!
I have a tendency to maintain some boundaries between my personal and professional life so I will not be going into too much detail about my research. However, I think it’d be interesting to mention that I’m part of a sleep lab.
My research explores the question of whether brain clearance is really one of the reasons why we go to sleep every night! I’m having a lot of fun doing this research, it can be challenging sometimes but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else (and challenges are something I can handle!) In the lab, I still feel a sense of community as people around me present themselves according to expression rather than expectation.
Without being too cliché, I try and remain true to myself as much as I can, given the circumstances. This sense of integrity is something I work to maintain in my research. I hold my work to a high standard but I’m a self-confessed perfectionist with a hint of imposter syndrome - maybe a little more than a hint.
Navigating this is something I’m still learning to do, just like expressing my sexuality. With this being said, there have been both professional and personal situations that have nudged me out of my comfort zone in the best possible way. These experiences have shaped who I am today- a dedicated researcher and a queer woman. Happy Pride Month! "
“My advice to other queer students would be to treat every day separately, and not to focus on how other people view you"
Finn Wright
Finn Wright is an undergraduate student in the Department of Life Sciences.
"I came out 16th August 2021 and ended up writing a long message to my close friends saying that I knew I was queer but was still figuring myself out, and to an extent since primary school I knew I wasn’t like my friends, but I didn’t know why. A few very long and dramatic months later I realised I was gay.
Since then, I was open about my sexuality with people at sixth form and eventually told my parents who were very supportive.
Initially when I arrived at Imperial, I downplayed my sexuality, but I think over the past two years I’ve cared less about other people’s opinions of me. One significant help has been my IQ (Imperial College LGBTQ+ society) dad, who has answered any questions I’ve had when it comes to being gay in London and at Imperial, and luckily, he does the same course as me so has also answered any academic questions.
In addition to support from friends and family, another aspect that comforts me is when staff wear Pride lanyards. I think to most people it doesn’t matter, but to me it gives me a better sense of LGBTQ+ representation in Life Sciences and Imperial as a whole.
In addition to being in IQ, I play the trumpet in IC Big Band and have been the publicity officer this year. This again was a big help in the transition from sixth form to university and enabled me to get to know people from other courses across Imperial. Although I love playing jazz, my main passion lies elsewhere, and I was lucky enough to see Olivia Rodrigo and Kacey Musgraves last month, with Taylor Swift and Troye Sivan later this month!
Another crucial part of my life is mental health awareness, an issue that’s very important to me. In the past I’ve had CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and around a year ago stopped taking antidepressants; since then I’ve definitely felt happier – except during exam season.
While I consider myself a very stressed person, I think a lot of it stems from my experiences of being queer. Since a young age I’ve always been more self-critical of myself than others and, in my opinion, it's stemmed from trying to hide myself and blend in, and while I’ve not stopped, I’ve definitely improved my mental wellbeing. This led me to run 10km a day for a month at the end of last year for a charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), which focuses on suicide prevention, raising over £800.
In the past few months especially, I’ve been trying to focus on where I want to be in the next five years or so, whilst taking each day as it comes, not comparing myself to my peers who may be further ahead or have other opportunities.
My advice to other queer students would be to treat every day separately, and not to focus on how other people view you."
Finn playing trumpet in Imperial's Big Band. Credit: Alek Ziol
Finn playing trumpet in Imperial's Big Band. Credit: Alek Ziol
“Coming out’ as queer is sometimes talked about as a one-and-done event but in reality, we ‘come out’ all the time”
Rosie Gathercole
Rosie Gathercole is a part-time lab technician in the Department of Life Sciences. She is also studying for a PhD in Immunology.
"I am a proud cisgender lesbian, currently working and studying at Imperial. After receiving my Master’s degree from Imperial in 2021, I spent two years in the biotech industry before returning to pursue a PhD in immunology whilst working part-time as a Lab Technician.
It was during my Master’s studies that I met my girlfriend, who was studying at UCL at the time, and I can’t image undertaking a PhD without her endless support and encouragement.
My sexuality doesn’t impact my proficiency in laboratory techniques (as far as I’m aware), but it does shape my life considerably. Although my first stint at Imperial was overshadowed by the pandemic, in the first year of my PhD I have already met so many amazing people and I have been able to join social clubs that are incredibly accepting and safe spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals. However, when thinking about how it intersects with my research, I am compelled to share some commonplace difficulties I have had to experience.
The act of ‘coming out’ as queer is sometimes talked about by non-LGBTQ+ individuals as a one-and-done event but in reality, we ‘come out’ all the time. At Imperial, this is mostly when I mention my girlfriend to colleagues and peers who would otherwise assume I am straight.
I am often faced with inappropriate and uncomfortable questions about my personal life that they wouldn’t have asked a straight colleague.
Sometimes, it can also feel like I am expected to be a figurehead with an encyclopedic knowledge of LGBTQ+ history, identities, and experiences. These questions come from well-meaning, intelligent, and highly educated individuals, but speak to a poor understanding many people have about different facets of LGBTQ+ lived experiences.
Now, I am no stranger to an interesting discussion, but these experiences cross a line for me personally and they have definitely affected how I approach my professional relationships at Imperial. I have to wonder if others feel the same; I can’t help but notice how few openly queer people I’ve met in academic and professional circles at Imperial so far.
That being said, there are plenty of inclusive and welcoming societies and clubs here where I’ve met other LGBTQ+ people. Hopefully this month’s events can build greater awareness of LGBTQ+ experiences and help promote a more understanding environment, particularly in staff spaces.
Imperial is an excellent place to be already, but I’m proud to be able to speak a little about my experience here and do my part to work towards a more inclusive, welcoming space across the board."
“Imperial must always be a forward-thinking and diverse space that encourages people to be their true selves without fear of judgement or abuse”
Theo Brook
Theo Brook is a second-year PhD student in Life Sciences, based primarily at Silwood Park.
"The focus of my PhD is on using various sources of data to understand speciation on Lord Howe Island, a very remote Australian island in the Pacific. I specifically look at Coprosma, a genus in the coffee family known as the currant bushes. Alongside the remote fieldwork my project requires, I also use lab and bioinformatic methods to understand how these species diversified in such a small space.
Outside of Imperial, I generally like spending time outside. I really enjoy botanical recording, where I use guidebooks (and often better botanists than me) to figure out what species are around me. This does make me an annoying companion to any walk or hike, as I regularly need to stop to look at interesting plants.
I’m a keen birdwatcher too, spending a lot of time at the WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) centre in Barnes. This is a beautiful wetland site full of birds you might not otherwise spot in a big city. Seemingly like a lot of people, I have recently started running. My flatmate and me are running the Richmond Park half marathon in July for Centrepoint, a youth homelessness charity, which is quite nerve-wracking as it will be the longest we’ve run before…
What I like most about studying ecology and evolution is that nature does not recognise the strict binaries and heteronormativities seen in human society. Natural systems are wonderfully diverse and no more so than the botanical world, where the mechanisms of life vary immensely across the tree of life. The fungus Schizophyllum commune, for example, has over 23,000 mating types!
Alongside my PhD, I work in several teams focused on enhancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) within Imperial. I am on the Grantham Institute’s student EDI committee, and I am working with the Graduate School on creating guidance for Graduate Teaching Assistants on inclusive teaching practices.
These positions have enriched my experience during my PhD and have allowed me to help shape the culture of Imperial, if even in a small way. I would encourage everybody to get involved with EDI initiatives as the more people involved, the faster we can create change.
Being part of the LGBTQ+ community has shaped my university experience - starting my undergraduate degree was the first step in my journey of acceptance. I’m very lucky to have entered a very welcoming space that allowed me to be myself more openly. Unfortunately, many people in the LGBTQ+ community, including friends and colleagues here at Imperial, are not afforded this opportunity.
As my experience, and those of many other queer students and colleagues, highlight, Imperial must always be a forward-thinking and diverse space that encourages people to be their true selves without fear of judgement or abuse. The university must ensure it does this to afford everybody the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
Support and resources at Imperial
Imperial 600 is the College's network for LGBTQ+ staff, postgraduate students and their allies.
IQ (Imperial College LGBT+) is Imperial's society for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning (LGBTQ+) students
How you can be an LGBTQ+ ally, a bi ally and a trans ally
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