The University of Exeter has created free educational resources for school students to learn about LGBTQ+ scientists.
Experts from the university have launched the initiative to celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ people working in maths and science, which will be available in secondary schools and museums, according to Scene Magazine.
These materials have been produced by working with the LGBTQ+ education charity Schools OUT in honour of the upcoming LGBT+ History Month in February 2026.
The resources, which include posters, videos, and class activities, were launched at the Royal Society of Chemistry on 7th November.
This is not the first time that Exeter academics have helped young people recognise LGBTQ+ figures in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine). The Queer Science competition has run three times previously, and is led by the PRISM Exeter LGBTQ+ Network.
The competition serves to unearth and champion the previously unheard voices of lesser-known scientists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians, and medics, and was open to students across the South West.
PRISM Exeter’s founder is University of Exeter Academic Dr Claire Davies, who has said that these resources mark the first time LGBTQ+ identities will be integrated into Key Stage 3 and 4 maths and physics lessons.
Section 28 was a law that said local authorities cannot “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship” and forbade a positive education on LGBTQ+ identities. This law was only repealed 22 years ago, in 2003.
Professor Emeritus Sue Sanders, CEO of Schools OUT and co-founder of UK LGBT+ History Month, said: “At Schools OUT we have worked tirelessly to ‘usualise’ LGBTQ+ people in all our diversity, producing free resources for education settings and beyond. We often see very little representation of LGBT+ people working in STEM, which is why we chose ‘Science and Innovation’ as the theme for 2026.
“We have long admired the work PRISM do and jumped at the chance to work with them on expanding the reach from the poster competition they held last LGBT+ History Month. These resources will be able to be used throughout this year and beyond, shining a light on the brilliant work of LGBTQ+ people in STEM.”
You can access the free resources here.
Featured image via Canva
