Tehshik P. Yoon is fascinated by photochemistry. He investigates how the energy-packed punch that photons deliver can open new realms of organic reactions. The University of Wisconsin–Madison professor specializes in developing photochemical techniques that drive a reaction to produce a desired molecule. This type of photochemistry has become a popular area of research over the past decade, according to David MacMillan , an organic chemist at Princeton University. “It’s now used all over medicinal chemistry, agrochemistry, everywhere.” And, he says, “it’s all germinating from the early studies that Tehshik did.” Yoon , the guest editor of C&EN’s LGBTQ+ Trailblazers special issue, says his identity as a gay man is an integral part of his scientific success. “I could probably draw a straight line from the self-preservation mechanisms I put in place as a queer youngster all the way to where I am now,” he says. Stories like his highlight the