Gender & Tech

facilitated by Jack Aponte from Palante Tech

Discussion topics

• In conversations about "women in tech," I feel alienated and left out. It can be a lack of nuance about how gender works and how gender discrimination works.
• We'll talk about how gender expression and discrimination works, while also not devaluing women's experiences.
• The conversation is often just about "how to get women into tech", but the conversation about privilege is often left out.
• Outside things can impose restrictions that are not a part of our politics. Booking spaces, etc.
• What does a non-patriarcical tech space looks like?
• Having everyone in the space model the principles.
• Gender neutral bathrooms.
• No assumptions about people's interests based on gender.
• Not interrupting a person in order to explain how they should be doing something.
• "Mansplaining": Assuming someone's knowledge based on gender.
• Leaving room for alternative techniques.
• Being willing to teach people what you know and share what you know in a way that assumes they are capable of understanding it.
• The place that a lot of men start is "anyone can be in this space" rather than working on what practices and culture are keeping people out.
• Being an ally in the workplace
• Knowing when to step back, challenging how privilege works in a space, not being complicitous by being silent.
• Being willing to talk about it.
• A lot of time people have a notion of what it means to be an ally without finding out what the folks your are trying to support what they want.
• It can be anxiety-provoking to be the only person at events to talk about gender pronouns.
• Everybody wants me to join their project. Stop getting me to join your project and ask me what I'm working on.
• It's not just gender in technology, but also activism, it's a bad combination.
• Assuming your presence is a huge value to a project.
• As a male-identified person and an activist, when do you actually step back? Do you always assume the world needs your new project?
• It's possible to be an over-ally. Trying so hard to support a group of folks that you are taking up a lot of your time trying to help.
• Sometimes the best thing I can do as an ally is just listen.
• There is a group that we work with that suffers from issues of privilege. One member of our group pulled out. Every woman in the group emailed and said "I totally understand", every man in the group emailed and said "we need to talk about this and it's your responsibility to tell me what was wrong with the group".
• How do you know the balance between bugging people and finding out what you don't know?
• When thinking about stepping up and stepping back and being an ally, when do you step up yourself or wait for the person being oppressed to say something themselves.
• If you feel like you have the agency to step up in the moment and no one else does, speak up.
• Especially if you identify yourself as a privileged person that the person can talk to.
• A person dealing with fucked up stuff have dealt with it a lot for a long time. I would never rather say it myself than someone step up and say something.
• Collect your people: Get people with similar privilege to you together and talk about an experience that felt uncomfortable.
• The way patriarchy trickles down into technology
• Avoid masculinizing actions / skills.

Resources

• The New School, Columbia, and NYU: Maybe called the DOCC?
• 9-month challenging male supremacy course.
• Ashe Dryden is active in the ruby and drupal communities and has a lot of good presentations and resources online.
• Black girls code: Based in Oakland
• Quinn Norton: A series of long-form pieces on medium.com about gender and technology. [1]
• Having good agreements and points of unity up front.

Report back

• What does a non-patriarcical tech space looks like?
• If you have a lot of privilege in a space, it's not the responsibility of those with less privilege to tell you how to be more inclusive. There are excellent resources that are well within your ability to find. Google it.
• It's not just gender and technology, but also activism, it's a bad combination.
• As a male-identified person and an activist, when do you actually step back? Do you always assume the world needs your new project?
• It's possible to be an over-ally. Trying so hard to support a group of folks that you are taking up a lot of their time trying to help.
• "Everybody wants me to join their project. Stop getting me to join your project and ask me what I'm working on. Or better yet just be self-aware..."