Out and Proud: meet Chemical Engineering LGBTQIA+ staff

Celebrating LGBTQIA+ History Month by delving into the absorbing life journeys of Chemical Engineering staff.

Salvador Eslava

Tell us a little about your LGBTQIA+ journey?
I grew up in a pretty traditional family in a small city in Spain - lots of sun, beautiful landscapes, great food, and friendly folks. But, talking about being different? Not really a thing. I was expected to follow the usual path: work hard, marry a woman, have kids. Anything outside that was a no-go.

Heading to university and traveling opened up a whole new world for me to explore different paths and find my own identity. Finding people I could look up to and relate to was tough, and figuring out I was gay was a bit of a bumpy journey. But, it toughened me up, made me resilient, which is a big plus in the academic world.

Did you experience any challenges or positive influences as you navigated through this journey?
On this ride, I've been lucky to meet amazing friends who've got my back no matter what. My family’s been awesome too, supportive and proud. Friends and family have helped me be confident in who I am and to live life without holding back.

A game-changer for me was reading "The Old Mermaid" book by José Luis Sampedro. It's about someone that loses her memory and starts over without any biases - blew my mind and made me feel like I could take on anything.

TV in the last two decades has been a big help too, showing us all kinds of lives and stories we can see ourselves in. Like, when I came out to my parents, my mom was like, “Oh, so you're like the popular TV presenter Jesús Vázquez?” Having a positive familiar face to compare to made it way easier for her to get it. 

If there is one piece of advice you could impart to inspire co-workers or students, what would that be?
Be bold, get out there and see the world, dive into books that make you think, binge on shows that light a fire in you, surround yourself with friends who love you for you, and always keep your chin up. Things have a way of working themselves out, so just be true to yourself and enjoy the ride.

Is there anything the Department of Chemical Engineering or the broader #OurImperial community could do to enhance the experience of the LGBTQIA+ community?
Imperial is already a pretty cool place where you can be yourself without worry. But, it's easy to forget that outside our bubble, being LGBTQIA+ can still be super tough. Like, in most places around the world, being LGBTQIA+ is still against the law! And only 17% of the world’s population is covered by same-sex marriage legislation!

We've come far, but we're on thin ice, especially with some places rolling back LGBTQIA+ rights even in Europe. Imperial's got students and staff from all over, which means we have the chance to make a difference everywhere we go. We need to show up, be seen, and inspire others to be allies.

Lana C Lee

Tell us a little about your LGBTQIA+ journey?
I knew I was queer from a young age/as a teenager and don’t think this was something I ever questioned or had a great epiphany about, it has always just been part of who I am. My gender identity has probably been more of a journey. I never conformed to gender standards/roles as a child – as soon as I was old enough to know, I would refuse to wear feminine clothes or play with feminine toys.

However, in my late teens and early twenties I felt more of a pressure to conform to society’s standards, dress a particular way and wear make-up. The last five or so years I’ve been undoing that, presenting myself in a way that feels right to me and probably in a way that would make my 5-year-old self-happy as well. I don’t identify strongly with any gender, would describe myself as agender and use neutral pronouns (they/them).

Did you experience any challenges or positive influences as you navigated through this journey?
Moving into new circles and finding community in new places is always a challenge, and for me sport has played a positive role in meeting people like me and feeling able to be myself.

When I started my undergraduate degree I joined the university rugby team. I made many close friends who I felt comfortable in my queerness around, and many of those friends are also queer and gender non-conforming. I now play for a local community football team which welcomes trans and non-binary people. The teams’ core principle is to show respect towards one another, respecting other people’s ability, gender identity and pronouns, and this makes the club a very welcoming space. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

Sport is often an unwelcoming space for LGBTQIA+ people, particularly trans and intersex people and at a competitive level. Many sporting organisations have chosen to ban and exclude trans women from sport and place strict requirements on intersex people’s bodies, denying people of the community and many benefits that I’ve gained from sports, and often agency over their own bodies.

Is there anything the Department of Chemical Engineering or the broader #OurImperial community could do to enhance the experience of the LGBTQIA+ community?
It is an important time to make Imperial an inclusive place for LGBTQIA+ people, particularly trans people. Hate crime is rising and often the wider socio-political set-up exacerbates our cause. Imperial’s EDIC team webpage has a range of resources for supporting and being inclusive towards the LGBTQIA+ community and these are a great place to start.

These guidelines are ideas that have been in place for years, but the culture needs to catch up (I’ve been stared at blankly and then misgendered many times after sharing that I use they/them pronouns).

Education and action are needed, particularly from those who are not from the LGBTQ+ community, to change the culture so that LGBTQ+ people truly feel that they can be themselves at work.

And in general, show respect for others, don’t ask invasive questions, don’t make assumptions about people’s identity, educate yourself on terminology and apologise and move on after making mistakes. Finally, always assume that a person knows best about their own identity. 

Avery Kitchens 

Tell us a little about your LGBTQIA+ journey?
I met my fiancé, Joe, at university and we got together after being best friends for three years. I had always had girlfriends, but Joe is still the first and only same-sex relationship I’ve ever had.

I guess I don’t exactly place myself into any of the LGBTQIA+ categories – or maybe I just haven’t thought very hard about it. All I know is that I love who I love and that’s good enough for me. I’m very thankful to have had such a warm, comfortable support system who made me feel comfortable to share my experiences, but I guess I’m still new to this. I’ve been ‘out’ for three and a half years now and to be honest, life doesn’t feel too much different other than having a wonderful, stable and loving relationship that makes me happy every day.

Did you experience any challenges or positive influences as you navigated through this journey?
I am very lucky that I have not had many challenges on my journey; however, this is absolutely not the case for most LGBTQIA+ individuals, as we live in a marginalising, yet becoming more educated, society.

My parents and my fiancé, Joe, have been key to creating an environment where I feel proud to love who I love and can be confident in my way of living. Growing up in north Florida in the south of the United States, you see and hear your fair share of hateful rhetoric surrounding ‘the other’. My parents created a safe and welcoming space both growing up and when I felt ready to share details about my sexuality with them (I am not keen on the whole ‘coming out’ narrative). Joe has also been such a rock on this journey, as he is going through it with me! He is a great listener, understands where my confusion and frustrations come from and can relate to how I’m feeling – which I am immensely grateful for.

If there is one piece of advice you could impart to inspire co-workers or students, what would that be?
Support for the community is so important - whether you are a part of it or an ally, it truly makes a difference. Stamping out hate and oppression can only be done through collective understanding and respect. Your support may be the reason that someone feels comfortable to accept and love themselves or can even be a harm preventing measure. This really matters.

Is there anything the Department of Chemical Engineering or the broader #OurImperial community could do to enhance the experience of the LGBTQIA+ community?  
I actually think the wider College does a pretty good job! The Imperial 600 community seems very active for staff and student resources are available through both the College and Student Union. Given the nature of my staff-facing role, I am sure there are always things we, as a community at Imperial, can do to support students and their wellbeing – especially international, trans and non-binary students.