Five historical figures to highlight in science and engineering lessons for LGBT+ History Month
05 February 2026
Amy Brewer, Science Subject Advisor
For LGBT+ History Month this February, Schools OUT is asking teachers to continue to create learning environments where all LGBT+ people feel safe, seen, and supported through this year’s theme of Science and Innovation.
Now in its 22nd year, LGBT+ History Month is a great opportunity to introduce students to a more diverse range of STEM contributors. In this blog I’ll highlight five historical figures and identify the relevant areas of Cambridge OCR specs where you could introduce them.
“Diverse teams are essential for the development of solutions which benefit everyone” but LGBT+ scientists are roughly 20% less represented in STEM fields than expected, with significant challenges in retention and inclusion reported. So it may prove difficult to find someone to elevate and exemplify in your lessons, especially when historically many LGBTQ+ people hid their gender or sexuality to avoid persecution or prejudice.
This blog can be used alongside our STEM Contributors resource and our blogs for Pride Month and Pride in STEM to highlight the contributions of LGBT+ scientists, and raise awareness of the people behind the innovations we use every day.
Barbara Burford
Born in Jamaica, Barbara Burford (1944-2010) moved to the UK aged 10 and went on to study medicine, specialising in electron microscopy. As well as leading medical research teams in cardiology at the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street, she was a published writer of poetry, plays and fiction. She was active in Black, feminist and lesbian politics, and her writing, including the highly-acclaimed The Threshing Floor (1986), reflects this and her complex cultural identity.
She later became Director of Equality for the Department of Health, and would go on to inspire hundreds of health professionals and managers, having transformed health services in the UK. The Barbara Burford Gay Times Honour (Excellence in STEM), first awarded in 2017, honours scientists and engineers who’ve made significant contributions to LGBT+ history.
When and where:
- Cambridge Advanced National Human Biology: F170, Topic Area 1; F171, Topic Area 5; F173, Topic Area 2; F176, Topic Area 5
- Cambridge Advanced National Applied Science: F180, Topic Area B1; F181,Topic Area 1, 3, 4; F185, Topic Area 2
- A Level Biology A: H420 and H020 Topic 2.1; A Level Biology B H422 and H022 Topic 2.1
- GCSE Biology: J247 and J250 Topic B1; J257 and J260 Topic B4
Learn more: Find out about Rachael Padman, the first recipient of the Barbara Burford award. She is an astrophysicist and the first trans woman to be elected Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge.
Charles Beyer
Charles Beyer (1813-1876) was a celebrated engineer, builder, and philanthropist. Born in Germany, as Carl Friedrich, to a working-class family of hand-loom weavers, his early talent for technical drawing led him to study architecture and engineering in Germany and Manchester. He went on to design cotton mill machinery and locomotives, as well as building and supporting schools, churches and colleges. He left money in his will to support working-class students at Manchester University.
Beyer faced discrimination and prejudice for being German, but employed a number of other German immigrants and went on to help found the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. While rumoured to have been in love with the daughter of his first UK employer, his letters to fellow engineer Gustav Stieler have survived, and speak of the challenges they faced at a time when homosexuality was illegal.
When and where:
- Cambridge Advanced National Applied Science: F180, Topic Area P2; F181, Topic Area 1, 3
- Cambridge Advanced National Engineering: F130, Topic Area 2; F131 Topics Areas 1 to 4; F132
- A Level Design Engineering: Topic 3, 6 and 7
- A Level Physics: H556 and H156 Module 3; H557 and H157 Topics 3.2 and 4.2 Topics 1 to 5
Learn more: Shrouk El Attar is a queer, neurodivergent Egyptian refugee and award-winning electronics engineer. She is also an internationally recognised LGBT+ activist, named a UNHCR Young Woman of the Year, and featured on the BBC 100 Most Influential Women list.
Elke Mackenzie
Elke Mackenzie (1911–1990) was a pioneering botanist, specialising in lichens. Trained in botany at the University of Edinburgh, during World War II she served on the covert British Antarctic expedition Operation Tabarin. She collected many species new to science and later conducted further Antarctic fieldwork producing extensive global collections and taxonomic studies.
Mackenzie was assigned male at birth but transitioned in the early 1970s, a period when gender diversity was widely unaccepted in professional and academic circles. Her transition, announced quietly within botanic communities, was met with institutional prejudice and social challenges, including a decline in professional recognition late in her career.
Highlighting Mackenzie in science curricula not only restores visibility to a scientist whose identity was often erased, but also challenges the longstanding marginalisation of LGBT+ figures in STEM. Her life demonstrates both extraordinary scientific achievement and the resilience of queer individuals whose contributions have shaped scientific knowledge despite social barriers.
When and where:
- Cambridge Advanced National Applied Science: F180, Topic Area B1, B2, B4; F184, Topic Area 1, 2, 4, 5; F185, Topic Area 1
- A Level Biology: H420 and H020 Topic 4.2; H422 and H042 Topic 3.1
- GCSE Biology: J247 and J250 Topic B6.1; J257 and J260 Topic B3.4
Learn more: A contemporary gay botanist featured by 500 Queer Scientists, Harpo Faust specialises in collections management, floristics, taxonomy, and field botany.
Jemma Redmond
Jemma Redmond (1978–2016) was an Irish biotechnology pioneer whose groundbreaking work in 3D bioprinting helped transform the possibilities of regenerative medicine. She studied electronic engineering before degrees in applied physics and nano-bioscience. She co founded the bio printing company Ourobotics, later designing devices capable of printing human tissue at lower cost, printing an “extended finger” as an early demonstration of complex tissue fabrication.
Redmond was intersex, a fact that deeply shaped both her personal life and her scientific ambitions. She was driven to explore organ bioprinting after learning she was infertile, a motivation she openly discussed. She also faced dismissal and scepticism early in her career, in part because she worked in a male dominated field and partly because her bold scientific vision was often underestimated.
Including Redmond in science lessons is important not only because of her pioneering biotechnology work, but also because her story highlights how queer identity can intersect with scientific innovation, resilience and advocacy for accessibility in STEM.
When and where:
- Cambridge Advanced National Human Biology: F170, Topic Area 1, 2, 3; F171, Topic Area 2; F175, Topic Area 3
- Cambridge Advanced National Applied science: F181, Topic Area 1, 3
- A Level Design and Technology – Design Engineering: H404): Topic 3, 4, and 5
- A Level Biology: H420 B6.2 and H422 B3.2
- GCSE Biology: J247 and J250 Topic 6.3; J57 and J260 Topic B2
Learn more: Find out about Claudia Astorino and how her intersex identity motivated her to explore intersex variation through the lens of evolutionary biology.
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle (1627–1691) was a key figure in the ‘Scientific Revolution’ and is widely regarded as the first modern chemist. His experiments established Boyle’s law, describing the inverse relationship between gas pressure and volume, and he helped shift chemistry from alchemy toward a rigorously experimental, measurement based science.
Boyle was deeply influential in the development of the scientific method, championing careful observation, replication, and transparent reporting of results at a time when such practices were not yet standard. His seminal work The Sceptical Chymist laid the intellectual groundwork for modern chemical theory.
Although Boyle’s refusal of marriage and preference for celibacy has led to speculation about his sexuality, the more important point for queer inclusion in science is how his prominence contrasts with the erasure of many LGBT+ scientists of his time. While Boyle’s life is well documented, numerous queer scientists often had their contributions obscured by prejudice and were excluded from institutions or unable to live openly. Teaching about Boyle alongside this historical absence helps students understand how structural barriers shaped who became “notable” and why it remains important to highlight overlooked queer scientists today.
When and where:
- Cambridge Advanced National Applied science: F180, Topic Area, C1, C2, C4; F181, Topic Area 1
- A Level Physics: H556 Topic 5.1; H557 Topic 5.2
- GCSE Physics: J249 and J250 Topic P1.2; J259 and J260 P6.2
Learn more: Beca Roldan (they/them) is a non binary organic chemist whose research involves photoredox catalysis and electrochemistry at the University of Michigan. They co founded the My Fave Queer Chemist podcast to spotlight queer chemists globally.
Note: AI was used to support the creation of this blog, but the sources have been reviewed and the information has been confirmed wherever possible.
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About the author
Amy joined OCR in May 2022 and is a subject advisor for GCSE Sciences and Applied Science. Before joining OCR, Amy taught chemistry to 11-18 year olds for 16 years and was responsible for planning her school’s science schemes of learning. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Amy mentored PGCE students, was responsible for the progress of KS5 science students, and is committed to improving diversity and inclusion in the sciences.
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