27th June – Cerys Bradley – A Unifying Theory of Gay

For decades, science has been fascinated by the LGBTQ+ community. What makes gay people gay? How does sexuality affect one’s behaviour, appearance, or ability to raise children? These are the questions that science has asked and the answers have had an impact not only within the scientific world, but also on public policy and the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens. Given the highly politicised nature of the topic, it is perhaps not surprising to discover biases and prejudices hidden in the construction, conduction, and conclusions of these studies but are they still valuable contributions to science?

PhD student (and lesbian) Cerys Bradley will discuss the scientific research into the LGBTQ+ community as well as its societal implications, and ask “just because science can ask a question, should it?”.