Making STEM a better place for women

[Vale]

Okay, so this post might be long and slightly ill timed.

To answer the OP's question though, as an Asian and cisgender girl without any disabilities (making sure to check my privilege first) within a school with a population that is mostly female, yes. Time and time again, there are micro aggressions and signs of harassment that me and my peers may sometimes feel, inside and outside of FIRST and STEM.

Of course, this is not all of the time, but it happens often enough that, at times, some of us may fear to the point where discerning "regular" flirting from harassment becomes difficult. At any point, if a female student (or any, for that matter) feels or appears to be uncomfortable or not consenting to the interaction, please do step in. The discomfort will linger, and may occupy our minds for years to come.

Even online, the feelings of insecurity through seeing the way that some people respond to real issues does interrupt my feeling of safety. I was hesitating responding to this thread due to some of the other responses to it.

Of course, my reactions and the next person's may vary, but this is often caused by our different filters and the way our identities have been formed by birth and environment. However, that does not make either party's less valid, if we have experienced the fundamentally similar events in different ways.

Thus, for a solution, others may have said this already, but awareness is a key to this. Sure, some people may refuse to change, but knowledge is, in fact, power. Making sure that your members know that preventing harassment and non-consenting situations is work for the approacher, and that it's okay for someone to step in if the victim does not appear in control of the situation. Also, by informing people of potential micro-aggressions they may be performing, they can learn from you to actively prevent these from occurring.

Finally, it's important to make sure that there is an available support system. Members should be able to trust people with their feelings during situations that may be uncomfortable in this manner. I think little things like this help make FIRST and STEM a bit friendlier place.