Members of the Lambda Biotechnology Association (LBA), a local group of biotech professionals, will celebrate the group’s third anniversary next month. An organization dedicated to providing opportunities for GLBT members of the biotechnology and life sciences communities within the greater San Diego area to socialize and network, the group formed with eight people, who began meeting in September of 2000. Their intent was to establish a GLBT organization for people interested in biotechnology careers to network and socialize with other professionals.

The focus was expanded over several meetings to include individuals in other areas of the life sciences, such as the medical and healthcare industries and academia, and those from other industries (such as hi-tech) who are interested in learning more about the biotech industry. LBA features a mix of social, educational and charitable events including: mixers, hikes, potluck dinners, wine tastings, plays and monthly dinners.

According to Pam Wagaman, Ph.D., a scientist trained in virology who currently works for Johnson&Johnson, there are about 50 members in the group, including both students and professionals.

“We’re trying to incorporate more people who are interested in the computer field,” Wagaman told the Gay and Lesbian Times. “[There’s] A lot of bioinformatics (a blend of biology and computer science) in science — the use of computers to do drug discovery.”

Wagaman said there are a few LBA members who are straight, though most are gay or lesbian.

Asked about the need for GLBT scientists to come together in this capacity, Wagaman said, “It sort of narrows the field a little bit, so that we have several things in common. The major thing is that we all work in the science field, so it’s just easier to talk together. We do a lot of networking, dinners and, occasionally, walk in parades…. AIDS Walk, things like that.”

The group also conducts occasional lectures and educational seminars.

Though Wagaman is not aware of any scientists in their group currently working in a field that is directly related to GLBT community or HIV/AIDS work, when doing her postdoctoral work at Scripps, Wagaman did research on FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), a feline model for HIV. She said a few LBA members work for Pfizer, the largest virology company in the area working in the field of HIV/AIDS (Pfizer is the manufacturer of Viracept, one of the leading protease inhibitors on the market).

Beyond their field of expertise, Wagaman said the group also discusses issues such as domestic partnership benefits within science-based companies and corporations.

“I know we recently had a member join … who moved here from the East Coast,” said Wagaman. “He and his partner come to some of our dinners or brunches…. He’s been very helpful … talking about how with his previous employer, which was DuPont, he was instrumental in getting them to begin to recognize, for example, (domestic) partner benefits and other specific issues that might have to do with the GLBT community. This is one of the major ways we can begin to address those specific issues in a gay-friendly format.

Wagaman said the group began sending out a series of mailers to related science- and biotech-based companies earlier this year, containing information about the group for any interested GLBT employees. “We started with the larger pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the San Diego area … sending a mailer to the human resources at each of these large companies, just introducing ourselves: ‘This is who we are, this is what we would like to accomplish, we would like to be a resource for you.’ It’s not always easy for employees to go to the HR, for example, and say, ‘Hey, I’m part of this community. Did you get that mailer? … Are you going to let people in your company know that this organization exists.’

“I just found out that [Johnson&Johnson] is just now forming that kind of a community within my company,” said Wagaman. “I work with 300 people here and I have no clue if I’m the only [GLBT] person. So, this gives us a tremendous outlet for being able to just communicate with other scientists and being able to talk openly and freely about our personal stuff — how we may or may not deal with these types of issues at work. Some people choose to, some people don’t.”

Asked if LBA has discussed having representatives talk to local science-based companies about offering domestic partnership benefits, Wagaman said, “We tried setting something up like that and I don’t know what the problem was. We just never could get it organized and off the ground. That’s a major concern for us. My company has just offered that for the first time. You would think with a company this big we would have had it sooner, but we didn’t….

“There seem to be a lot of the smaller companies here who are very amenable to things like that and already have many of those things in place. From what I’ve seen it looks like it’s the larger companies that aren’t always on board with that. I think Pfizer takes the lead in it. They are awesome with the types of benefits and support that they have for GLBT employees.”

LBA President Lee Landeen is a graduate student at UCSD. Landeen was previously working in the tissue engineering industry until his company filed for bankruptcy.

Asked about the level of discrimination employees face in the biotech and science field, Landeen said, “It just depends on the climate of the organization. When I worked at my place, I was fortunate to have a person that was there at the very beginning who was very open and very out…. We’re trying to decide what [LBA] can do to sort of help the members know more about what it’s like to be in both worlds — the science and the gay and lesbian world.”

Kent Pryor, a medicinal chemist who works for Kemia Incorporated, says the group has mostly offered him a social outlet. “I spend my time with biotech people a lot, obviously, I’m in that field. But there’s definitely something to be said for getting a chance to know other gays and lesbians that are in the field,” said Pryor. “Not everything is the same for us as it is for everybody else…. I’ve met a lot of people that are in the field or more broadly in biotech through the LBA group that really I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.”

Pryor said several people have used LBA to look for jobs in the biotech field.

“We have a newsletter that goes out each week and people can put information of interest to members of our group, which is basically the melding of two communities … gays and lesbians and biotech. There’s an interesting mix of things that get included in that newsletter. Later on this year, we’re going to get together with the American Chemical Society. As a chemist, I’m part of the ACS, as well as the Lambda Biotechnology Association…. I am tentatively scheduled to speak in a panel discussion for the San Diego chapter of the ACS on being a minority in chemistry. They’re going to get a black chemist and gay chemist and an Asian chemist and a woman chemist to get together and have that panel discussion….”

I note the biotechnology convention held in San Diego two years ago, which drew thousands of protestors and during which the city spent millions in crowd control for anticipated riots that never occurred. I ask Wagaman if there have been any conversations about ethical considerations within the biotech field. “Not to my knowledge, but this is certainly the format for something like that,” she said. “On the flip side, there would also be room for discussions of positive changes in companies.”

LBA’s annual members’ meeting/party will be held this Saturday, Aug. 23, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. The theme will be an “international appetizer potluck.” The event is open to members, guests and interested others. Those wishing to attend can e-mail the Lambda Biotechnology Association care of the Gay and Lesbian Times website at www.gaylesbiantimes.com. The group’s e-mail and website is listed in the online version of this article.