4 ms·

As a queer woman in tech... I feel this so much. I don't really know where to sit on this. It's a bit confusing for me. I understand the need for "X minority g

As a queer woman in tech... I feel this so much. I don't really know where to sit on this. It's a bit confusing for me. I understand the need for "X minority group in tech" events, I really do. I think it helps newcomers and people who feel like they're at the fringe find a community. At the same time, I DO find it a little weird at times to go to "LGBTQ-only", "Asian-only", or "women-only" events. It just kind of reminds me of... this reverse-frat mentality. Going to events with ONE homogenous group just really skeezes me out for some reason.

monksy 9y ago
I believe that it's an exploit for honest people's desire to be fair. In reality, it's self-segregation.
ehsanu1 9y ago
I think the "-only" part is the problem. Marketing and naming events for minority groups is fine, but they would ideally be welcoming of all groups not part of the minority. Now it might still seem slightly funny for any old person to take part in an event called "black girls code", but it's better than excluding them entirely and I'd hope that most such events are inclusive of all groups.
- athenot 9y ago
  > but it's better than excluding them entirely and I'd hope that most such events are inclusive of all groups "Most"? No, the point is for ALL events to be inclusive. Instead of combatting exlusion with isolation, it would be far better to strengthen the message that it really doesn't matter what labels other have put on you: if you have a desire in skill X, then come to this event with other people who are further along and learn from them, irrespective of their label. And conversly, if you are skilled in X, come spread the skill to anyone who's got a desire, irrespective of their label.
zjaffee 9y ago
> I think it helps newcomers and people who feel like they're at the fringe find a community. Once thing I've noticed is a lot of the diversity events are directed towards college students. Grace Hopper has a large student presence, in addition to conferences like Out for Undergraduate which are for UG students only. For someone with zero or very little professional experience, to read all these articles about how they will be discriminated against once they start working. Having such resource groups is important, so they know that there are people who do have their back. Once you're an experienced professional, who has built a network of people who recognize your engineering abilities, this fear is less present on the surface, as it can be easier to avoid toxic people when you have the ability to choose who you work with (in a way a new grad doesn't).

monksy 9y ago

I believe that it's an exploit for honest people's desire to be fair. In reality, it's self-segregation.

ehsanu1 9y ago

I think the "-only" part is the problem. Marketing and naming events for minority groups is fine, but they would ideally be welcoming of all groups not part of the minority. Now it might still seem slightly funny for any old person to take part in an event called "black girls code", but it's better than excluding them entirely and I'd hope that most such events are inclusive of all groups.

athenot 9y ago
> but it's better than excluding them entirely and I'd hope that most such events are inclusive of all groups "Most"? No, the point is for ALL events to be inclusive. Instead of combatting exlusion with isolation, it would be far better to strengthen the message that it really doesn't matter what labels other have put on you: if you have a desire in skill X, then come to this event with other people who are further along and learn from them, irrespective of their label. And conversly, if you are skilled in X, come spread the skill to anyone who's got a desire, irrespective of their label.

zjaffee 9y ago

> I think it helps newcomers and people who feel like they're at the fringe find a community. Once thing I've noticed is a lot of the diversity events are directed towards college students. Grace Hopper has a large student presence, in addition to conferences like Out for Undergraduate which are for UG students only. For someone with zero or very little professional experience, to read all these articles about how they will be discriminated against once they start working. Having such resource groups is important, so they know that there are people who do have their back. Once you're an experienced professional, who has built a network of people who recognize your engineering abilities, this fear is less present on the surface, as it can be easier to avoid toxic people when you have the ability to choose who you work with (in a way a new grad doesn't).