Fund a biopic of Dr. Ben Barres at
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/askthequestionmovie/ask-the-question
Dr. Ben Barres was a neuroscientist whose research focuses on the glia, not nerve cells but other cells which help to sculpt and maintain the wiring of the brain.
Once he realized that he was transgender, he was nervous about coming out, afraid that he would lose his job and his friends. He wrote a letter explaining his situation,
“Although the idea of my changing sex will take some time for you to get used to, the reality is that I’m not going to change all that much. I’m still going to wear jeans and tee shirts and pretty much be the same person I always have been—it’s just that I am going to be a lot happier.”
But his family and all of his colleagues were immediately supportive.
And he found a lot more support now that he presented as male. After a talk, one scientist remarked what a great seminar it had been, saying that “Ben Barres’s work is much better than his sister’s.” Ben doesn’t have a sister. He was the same person presenting the same research.
“By far, the main difference that I have noticed is that people who don’t know I am transgendered treat me with much more respect; I can even complete a whole sentence without being interrupted by a man.”
He became an outspoken advocate for gender equity and fairness to LGBTQ+ scientists.
He changed procedures of the National Institute of Health Pioneer Award. Previously, a nearly-all-male committee selected almost exclusively male winners.
He changed the nomination process for candidates to be chosen as Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, seeking gender equity.
He helped establish the child care assistance program for Stanford untenured faculty.
He convinced multiple science conferences to require a pledge from attendees that they will not sexually harass, with the understanding that that behavior would bar them from future participation.
His neurological discoveries with glial cells led him to co-founding ANNEXON, a biopharmaceutical company testing drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative autoimmune diseases such as ALS, Huntington’s disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and geographic atrophy. Barres also worked with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to explore ways to promote recovery of function after spinal cord injury.
Dr. Ben Barres deserves to be celebrated for his work and for his activism. Dr. Barres believed that our differences should be honored, as there is a place for everyone in science. He hoped to inspire young people, especially women and LGBTQ+, to become the next generation of scientists.
