Committee on Sexual-Orientation & Gender Minorities in Astronomy

At its August meeting in Honolulu, the AAS Council voted unanimously to establish the Committee on Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy (SGMA).  This committee evolved from the Working Group on LGBTIQ Equality (WGLE) that was created in 2012.  SGMA's charge is to promote equality for sexual-orientation and gender minorities (SGMs) within our profession, including those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, questioning, or queer. SGMA works to:

• end hiring and workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression;
• eliminate the inequalities in compensation experienced by SGMs;
• create a professional climate that respects and values diversity;
• serve as a conduit for communication between the AAS Council and the SGM community;
• support networking and peer mentoring among SGMs; and
• provide resources to support SGM equality within the astronomical profession.

There are seven committee members; SGMA is chaired by Van Dixon (STScI). For more information or to join SGMA's email list, visit the SGMA website or write to [email protected].