Rants and Raves, November 2018
The rant (and rave) blog from last month was so well reviewed that I’ve decided to make it my next series! Look for the next three blogs from me to be things I’m mad or thrilled about. Also, if there is something you want me to rant or rave about, shoot me an email or check out Lauren and I presenting at UCEA in Houston on Friday!
Rant #1: My gender bias, revealed publicly
My first rant this month is directed squarely at myself. Every few weeks, I go to a Mexican restaurant for some pub trivia with a couple of my friends. We usually do pretty well. Last week, we were in second place going into the final round. The final question was one about an American novelist from the late 1800’s. As I began to list the ones I could think of, I confidently scrawled the names of all of the men that I could think of. There were a lot. But horrifyingly, it never occurred to me to put a woman on my list. The answer, Louisa May Alcott, was a blow to my confidence for two reasons. One, I love Little Women and just a couple years ago I went with my father to visit Louisa May Alcott’s house in Concord, MA! But more than that, how had it not occurred to me that women were novelists in the 1800’s?! Certainly, I know that. As I sat there with my team, fuming at myself, I thought again about how insidious gender biases can be and how, even when you think that you are doing a great job, you can always do better. So, dear reader, in this rant I express how mad I am at myself, but I also suggest a reminder that, when you notice your biases, don’t spend too much time berating yourself. Commit to do better. I make a promise to myself and to you that I will do better. And obviously, I’m going to go re-read Little Women.
Rant #2: Can we please stop trying to erase people?
It blows my mind that in 2018 we are still dealing with this kind of thing. Under the guise of looking to establish a “definition” of gender under Title IX, the Trump administration is looking at defining gender as an immutable binary set at birth. Gender would have to be confirmed with a genetic test in the case of any “confusion”. This goes against so much of what we know about gender. But more than that, it is cruel, degrading, and immoral. As someone who has taught both transgender children and the siblings of transgender students during my 11 years of teaching, I cannot imagine why you would choose to go after this group of people so viciously. One thing that stuck out from the article linked above was the current administration’s concern that civil rights protections were being extended to people who should not have them. I’m sorry, what? If anything, the Trump administration’s malicious attitude towards transgender people is evidence for the fact that they do need these protections. Kudos to the businesses that are pushing back and shame on the Trump administration for promoting policies that discriminate against people and are just generally hateful.
Rave: Let’s send those women to office!
Hopefully by now you have read Lauren’s awesome blog about the midterm elections. I’m so happy that so many women will be heading to government offices. We have written about how important representation is and this political victory is one shared by women and men across the country. Well done, voters! A special mention goes to Stacey Abrams, Krysten Sinema, and Jacky Rosen, who were some of my personal favorites. I would like to give a special shout out to Massachusetts for continuing the protections for transgender people. It was a strong statement that we will not move backwards and we believe that all people are worthy of respect and dignity. This is something that we firmly believe at Aequitas Educational Consulting. Want to know more about what we believe? Shoot us an email to find out what we can do for your organization.
Want to meet me? Share some of your own rants and raves? We’ve got just the thing: Lauren and I are presenting at the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Annual Convention on Friday, November 16, at 1:45pm. Our session title is “Working to, Within, and Through Gender Equality: Women Leaders Rising, Sustaining, and Flourishing.” Come say hi!