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Abstract
Gay men continue to experience discriminatory and oppressive practices, even as societal attitudes towards them have improved. These experiences include both implicit and explicit issues of heterosexism and heteronormativity that is present at all levels of society. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this qualitative study examined how students who self-identified as gay men experienced heterosexism and heteronormativity in their STEM majors. Drawing upon the work of Costa (1995) and Aikenhead (2001), the goal of this study was to determine how gay men navigated, or were not able to navigate, cultural borders between their lived-world and the world of canonical science. Data collected through the utilization of interviews, photo-elicitation, and photo-feedback were used to reconceptualize cultural border crossing as a continuum of navigational responses gay men exhibit to the genderized conditions of their STEM environments. Using thematic analysis, three distinct themes emerged from the data: a) how heterosexism acts as a barrier to STEM access: it pays to be straight; b) having multiple social identities has negative implications for my emotional, social, and educational selves; and c) my behavior in STEM is dictated by heteronormative expectations. These three themes were illustrated in counter-stories from the point of view of composite characters. The findings suggested that multiple factors contributed to participants persistence in STEM fields. First, the findings highlighted strategies the participants employed to navigate the often homophobic and heteronormative environments found in STEM classrooms. For example, these strategies included policing actions through closetedness and gender enactments. Additionally, the findings suggested having a strong STEM identity is, in part, a key to gay men persisting in STEM fields.