[Gendergap] Proposal: Forking gendergap: Main list for women and transgender, sublist for male supporters

[George Herbert]

On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 1:48 PM, Laura Hale <laura at fanhistory.com> wrote:
>[...]
> Erik's comment made me feel decidedly uncomfortable.  On a list dedicated to
> helping increase the female participation rates on Wikipedia, Erik basically
> said: WOMENS! THEY IS DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ME!  If I went to some women's
> communities and I posted Erik's comment (and comments of other male posters)
> with the context of these comments being said on a list dedicated to
> increasing female participation rates...
>
> ... well, you'd potentially have a mob involved.  This effort?  It would
> appear extremely sexist.  (The large male involvement, the defensiveness of
> men regaridng their participation contribute to this image.)  That these
> sexist comments are coming from the Deputy Director of WMF?  It makes this
> worst because it is sexism coming from inside the institution.
>
> If you and Erik want to belong, that's great.  It should be purely in
> support roles: Women say they are doing this project and need help.  WMF
> officials step in and say we can help this way.  If this was the general
> mode of male participation on the list, of specific support offered in
> response to specific requests, male involvement would be less problematic.


I would like to hear more from other women here on your impressions of
and responses to Erik's comments.


-- 
-george william herbert
george.herbert at gmail.com