Travelling abroad for work is a rewarding opportunity that can come with challenges for any student or staff member. For those identifying as LGBTQ+, such travel can be associated with further complications. Legal restrictions and societal norms of some countries (https://www.humandignitytrust.org/lgbt-the-law/map-of-criminalisation/) may make LGBTQ+ staff feel anxious, unwelcome or unsafe. Being your true self in certain environments can directly impact your safety. On the other hand, presenting an edited version of yourself may negatively impact your mental health and wellbeing. Because there is no one correct way to navigate such situations, we have collected resources, advice and stories from travelling LGBTQ+ staff members and students. While this page should not be considered an exhaustive list or a definitive travel manual, we hope it helps reduce anxiety around travelling, improves the overall experience of going abroad, and fosters conversations including those between supervisors and subordinates and co-travellers.
WHat can we do
What the university could/should do
- Embed LGBTQ+ specific safety plans into wider procedural forms for students/staff conducting fieldwork so that everyone is aware of the dangers and challenges.
- Offer training or mentorship for LGBTQ+ individuals conducting fieldwork. A pilot scheme is currently being conducted to offer specialised training sessions focusing on LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and safety in countries with anti-LGBTQIA+ laws or attitudes, for both allies and LGBTQ+ individuals. More training sessions will be available in 2024.
- Where international training, workshops, or conferences are being organised by Imperial, a code of conduct with a strong anti-harassment statement should be included.
- Where appropriate, clear emergency procedure plans should be offered to LGBTQ+ individuals, including legal support, communication strategies and repatriation plans. See the Off-site working emergency response plan.
What supervisors or senior staff can do
- Be aware of the different LGBTQ+ laws and attitudes in countries where you conduct fieldwork and / or have collaboration.
- Don’t rule out LGBTQ+ individuals from fieldwork, support individuals to make their own decision.
- Be aware of the additional mental burden LGBTQ+ students / staff might be facing in the field.
- Get educated on reporting mechanisms if things do go wrong in the field, so you can support students / staff.
- Be aware of potential challenges for transgender and non-binary staff and students, including official documentation (i.e., where a trans person’s gender expression does not match the gender marker on their identification documents), access to medicines and access to public bathrooms
What other researchers can do to be an ally in the field
- Be aware individuals may choose to selectively come out / be careful not to out colleagues in the field.
- If you feel safe to, be vocal in your support of LGBTQ+ rights or state your discomfort in the language being used, if confronted with individuals using homophobic / transphobic language, and be aware that LGBTQ+ individuals themselves may not feel comfortable in doing this.
- Be aware of the additional mental burden LGBTQ+ colleagues might be facing in the field.
- How to be an ally and considerate traveller with a colleague
What can the individual do?
- Prioritise your safety and mental wellbeing.
- Know that it’s okay not to come out when in the field – this will be location dependent.
- Be aware that remaining in the closet may be mentally challenging and engage with support networks e.g., family, friends, staff, LGBTQ+ travel group.
- Know that it’s okay to not be a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights whilst in the field.
- Seek out local LGBTQ colleagues / networks.
Find out about queer identities around the world
- Queer communities may be less visible in some countries but they are present in every corner of the globe, so don’t feel alone, wherever you may be travelling.
- Find out about the inspiring activism of LGBTQIA+ groups in countries where same-sex relations and some forms of gender expression are still criminalised: for example Nigeria and Kenya
- Find out about how queer identities have been recognised and often celebrated in different cultures, sometimes for hundreds of years e.g. Two-spirit, A map of gender-diverse cultures
FAQs
- What should I do before I travel?
- What if I don’t want to travel/don’t feel safe enough to travel?
- Should I come out abroad?
Useful resources
- Challenges of fieldwork for LGBTQ+ scientists | Christina Atchison (Nature)
- It gets better project: Queer and abroad video
- Identities Abroad: A resource guide for travelling LGBTQ students (Colleges of the Fenway)
- Back in ‘the closet’: Conducting fieldwork as an LGBTQ+ researcher (University of Leeds)
- Being queer in the jungle: The unique challenges of LGBTQ scientists working in the field (BioMed Central Blog)
- LGBTQ Study Abroad Guide
- Stonewall’s Global Workplace Briefings shine a spotlight on the situation for LGBT people in different countries
- International travel & LGBTQIA+ mental health practices