Baked In: how racism shows up in food & STEM
From Science Queeries by JOY 94.9 - Rainbow Community Podcasts for our LGBTI, LGBTIQA+, LGBTQIA+, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGB, Gay, Lesbian, Trans, Intersex, Queer Communities
March 31, 2026 · 45 min
About this episode
The episode discusses how food racism intersects with science and culture, featuring a conversation with Anastasia Le on inclusion and visibility in minority communities.
In this well-seasoned conversation, we’re after a recipe for change. Food racism isn’t just about ingredients. It’s about whose knowledge counts as science, whose culture gets celebrated, and whose gets criminalised. Myths around the harms of MSG, the flavour enhancer, is a perfect case study. While it is found naturally in ingredients used around the world, these myths are specifically attached to Asian cuisine. That’s not science. That’s racism, baked into our beliefs. But food racism is just one symptom of a much bigger problem: systemic barriers that keep minority communities invisible and excluded. Dr Cat chats with Anastasia Le, a transgender woman who works to support inclusion for LGBTQIA+, migrant, and disability communities. She is launching a groundbreaking campaign on Trans Day of Visibility: “Count the Gaps: The Gaps Aren’t Empty”, because change starts with seeing what we’ve been missing. Dig into how food racism shows up in our science and our culture. Tuck into what it’s like to navigate STEM workplaces as a transgender person, as a migrant, as someone from a minority community. Unpack the power of making…
People in this episode
Host: Dr Cat
Guest: Anastasia Le
Topics covered
- food racism
- STEM
- systemic barriers
- LGBTQIA+ inclusion
- cultural representation
Keywords
- food racism
- STEM
- LGBTQIA+
- MSG
- systemic barriers
- cultural representation
- inclusion
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: LGBTQIA+, Trans Day of Visibility, Science Queeries
Products: MSG
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