LGBTQIA+ (In)Visibility in Computer Science and Software Engineering EducationNIER paper
Modern society is diverse, multicultural, and multifaceted. Because of these characteristics, we are currently observing an increase in the debates about equity, diversity, and inclusion in different areas, especially because several groups of individuals are underrepresented in many environments. In software engineering, it seems counter-intuitive that this area, which is responsible for creating technological solutions and systems for billions of users around the world, does not reflect the diversity of the society to which it serves. In trying to solve this diversity crisis in software engineering, researchers started to investigate strategies that can be applied to increase diversity and improve inclusion both in academia and in the software industry. However, the lack of diversity in computer science and software engineering courses is still a problem, particularly when some specific groups are considered. LGBTQIA+ students, for instance, face several challenges to fit into technology courses, even though Generation Z, which is most students in universities right now, is described as being open to aspects of gender and sexuality. In this study, we aimed to discuss the state-of-art of publications about the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ students in computer science and software engineering education. Using a mapping study, we identified eight studies published in the past six years that focused on this public. We present strategies developed to adapt curricula and lectures to be more inclusive to LGBTQIA+ students and discuss challenges and opportunities for future research.