Discussion on All-Girl events

[nerdrock101]

Originally Posted by The Swaggy P

I would like to also point out here, specifically to the people who are flaming & bashing me, rather than trying to talk reasonably about my posts, that I, as a boy/man/male (whichever you prefer), have been discriminated against multiple times in High School.

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I am not a troll, and I am not against women's events in FIRST. I was originally ONLY against the gender labeling of lectures at a lunchtime meeting. It seems that I cannot express this intention enough, as I still see users accusing me of trying to bring down these events.

I'm sorry for the hate you received in this thread, but I can understand how users may have perceived your post as being directed more at women's events in general versus just the lunch lectures. I'm also sorry that you have faced discrimination, but I wish that it had given you a glimpse into what women face in other areas rather than hardened your heart to this subject.

However, I disagree with you about the lunch lectures because to create a welcome environment for everyone, focus needs to be put on how men act with women in their "zone". I have had a number of events in my life where I have been bullied, mocked, and sexually harassed in the engineering field and every event had one thing in common: men were the perpetrators. Some didn't have bad intentions, but just didn't know how to act with me around. After explaining to them why I was hurt by what they said or did, it was easy for them to pick up the subtle language changes and get along splendidly. The potential for this event and the lunch to teach those skills to students before they enter the workforce is invaluable.

Finally, if you really will no longer respond to this thread, PM me if you feel comfortable continuing to discuss this. I think there's a lot we all can learn from each other if we take a breath first.