Gender Blindness

I was listening to a podcast on the way in to work this morning with a panel of trans-gender women.  I found it quite interesting and enlightening and I enjoyed listening to each of them telling of their experiences, viewpoints and the complexities of issues being addressed and needing to be addressed. There was one of the speakers that brought my thoughts to the subject of this post, which both does and does not have to do with the trans-gender issue.  She was talking about the differences she had noticed in the way that men speak to her since she began to identify as a woman.  Many of these are blatantly obvious to most of us women, but she had the advantage of having identified as a man for much of her life and that gave her the ability to see subtleties that I think often pass our notice.  Many of the things she spoke of, I had never thought of in regards to associating with gender bias, at least not unless they were overtly blatant or said in an inflammatory way. She spoke of how as a woman she began to notice that she was criticized at a substantially higher rate in forums and on blogs than she was as a man for everything from grammar, spelling, content and tone.  She also made sure to comment to the fact that often the criticism was incorrect.  But, the same content, when posted under her male identity received almost no negative criticism.  She also cited this type of difference in face to face encounters.  She noted that there were times when it was another woman doing the criticizing, but the overwhelming number were men. The interesting thing about this is that most of what she cited goes unnoticed by most women because it has fallen into a category where it is spoken more politely and does not seem to carry the blatant gender bias of earlier times.  Her gender identity shift gave her a unique perspective on the issue that makes it apparent that though we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go. I thought about what she had said and translated it to interactions I have seen on social media forums and can see the validity of her claims.  It is quite common to see a male correct a female’s comment and if she challenges it, she often finds herself being called touchy or some other such word.  Yet, on the rare occasion that a female corrects a male, she is often met with derogatory comments about nit picking, being a “grammar nazi” or missing the intent of the post. The same holds true in face to face encounters.  I can personally count innumerable instances where I have been verbally dismissed or challenged on comments I have made, often in retort to a blatantly incorrect “statement of fact” from another.  Oft times, they are spouting off something they heard or read from a knowingly disreputable source such as some TV show or Facebook and have no understanding of the true mechanisms or reality of a situation or thing.  Yet, when you counter them with actual facts, stated in a way that shows you have a firm understanding of the subject, you are either dismissed or challenged.  Yet, a man can offer an alternative that is as or more outlandish than the original comment, it is accepted as truth. Granted, it is not as common or as blatant in every situation or with every group that you engage in.  But, it seems that even when dealing with more educated and open minded groups, it is still there.  All that needs be done to confirm this is to ask women working in the sciences or halls of higher learning.  Women are still to this day advised that their papers will carry more weight in the scientific community if there is also a man’s name attached to it.  Not always, but enough to add credence to the point. At any rate, listening to this transgender woman was fascinating.  Because, through “her” eyes, she could offer what neither man nor woman could possibly offer.  And that was the truly dual perspective.  It isn’t often that someone can say they have walked a mile in your footsteps, but this seems to be an interesting and unexpected knowledge base coming out of this unusual segment of our population.  To see the world from both sides now.  Of course, we must first learn to listen.  That, could present a problem. SephiPiderWitch 10/08/2015