“We can’t just turn that off and then do some physics”: A counter-storytelling analysis of introductory physics as a white, cisheteropatriarchal space in undergraduate STEM education

Abstract

This paper presents findings from research about the experiences among 39 undergraduate queer and trans* (QT) students of color in STEM majors that illustrate how introductory physics reinforces white cisheteropatriarchy. Two cases of Black queer STEM students’ counter-stories highlight how uncertainty about faculty bias, lack of identity-conscious support, and stereotypes of ability shaped intersectional oppression in introductory physics courses. The counter-stories also exemplified agency in managing oppression as physics students, including strategic concealment of their queer identities. The paper concludes with implications for pedagogical practice in introductory physics to advance queer and intersectional justice for QT students of color.