1. Reader poll results for sci-fi overwhelmingly male despite many women writing in genre, SHOCK. Commenters prove point about cultural sexism while laughing at how "forced" the idea is. (No, I know, never read the comments. I'm a masochist, what can I say.) Yeah, sure, it's not the readership's fault, it's just that women don't write good sci-fi. Suuuuuuuuuuuure. If I had a bingo card and a bottle of gin I could be wasted by now. ("When I scanned the names, I just saw people. Never struck me that this could be an issue..." Pfffft I bet. Isn't it funny how one often sees "just people" when looking at a mostly-male list and "a lot of women" otherwise?)
2. Not entirely unrelatedly, strange new worlds, a post by![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
paxpinnae about conventions and gender representation.
I mean, I know all about nerd sexism. It is pretty much like regular sexism. It has tunnel vision and systematically devalues the contributions of women in general while also being obnoxious to women in particular. There are fewer women in many of the nerd spaces perceived as being in the nerd mainstream*, because they are essentially men's clubs but with different social standards, and because there are fewer women AND there is a men's club environment there is possibly even more sexism to go around for the women who are there. This is basically the only way I can think of offhand to explain the disproportionate amont of sexism I have experienced in certain nerd spaces compared to out in society at large - since society at large is also ridiculously sexist. Because for serious, in no other environment has my ability to think been so consistently and openly questioned due to my possession of a pair of breasts.
* No, you guys, it is true. Don't bother. There are welcoming, diverse nerd spaces, and then there are western comics conventions. (Random example picked by googling "UK comics convention" and clicking on the guestlist. The first one I looked at. Read it and weep. From pretty much any "minority" perspective.)
2. Not entirely unrelatedly, strange new worlds, a post by
paxpinnae about conventions and gender representation.I mean, I know all about nerd sexism. It is pretty much like regular sexism. It has tunnel vision and systematically devalues the contributions of women in general while also being obnoxious to women in particular. There are fewer women in many of the nerd spaces perceived as being in the nerd mainstream*, because they are essentially men's clubs but with different social standards, and because there are fewer women AND there is a men's club environment there is possibly even more sexism to go around for the women who are there. This is basically the only way I can think of offhand to explain the disproportionate amont of sexism I have experienced in certain nerd spaces compared to out in society at large - since society at large is also ridiculously sexist. Because for serious, in no other environment has my ability to think been so consistently and openly questioned due to my possession of a pair of breasts.
* No, you guys, it is true. Don't bother. There are welcoming, diverse nerd spaces, and then there are western comics conventions. (Random example picked by googling "UK comics convention" and clicking on the guestlist. The first one I looked at. Read it and weep. From pretty much any "minority" perspective.)
