Listening to Nonbinary Chemistry Students: Nonacademic Roadblocks to Success

We conducted semistructured interviews to investigate the experience of two nonbinary students in an undergraduate chemistry program. Students described experiences with struggling with identity, hiding identity as a form of defense, discrimination by peers based on perceived gender, perceptions of unsympathetic instructors, and mental health struggles. They also identified the following factors that helped them succeed in their education: desire to learn, connecting with peers, and active support from mentors. Based on these findings, we recommend that instructors engage with topics outside of traditional course content, facilitate peer collaboration, acknowledge that there could be trans, nonbinary, and Two Spirit individuals in the classroom, and recognize that not all students are the same. Chemistry educators who implement these strategies will create a more respectful learning environment for trans, nonbinary, and Two Spirit students.