[UbuntuWomen] Gender and email [was: Free Ego :)

[Christina Eater]

I'm not sure about my opinion on the importance of knowing/disclosing
gender on a mailing list, but I actually strongly disagree with this
point:

On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 10:03 AM, Danyelle Gragsone <ladynikon at gmail.com> wrote:
> I really do not think gender matters.   Unless you want a specific
>  genders  opinion on something.  I have "lady" in my name because I
>  kinda want people to know I am female.  But in the end .. it really
>  doesn't matter greatly when just talking about a subject.

I've always felt that gender, for better or worse, is a fundamental
part of personality, which I think has been demonstrated time and
again in cases of transgendered people and simply those who feel
stunted or repressed by the need to ignore their gender. At least in
America (well, in my personal experience of American life), gender and
the way one has been encouraged to interact with the world as a result
of gender are also fundamental to one's perspective on everyday
topics, even those that don't directly relate to gender issues.

Now, whether anyone else has the right to know that some of my
opinions may stem from my upbringing or experiences as a female, I
can't say. Does it weaken my position for that basis to be known?
Perhaps. Is it relevant to understanding me and how I think?
Absolutely. Should people I know only through a mailing list be privy
to that sort of personal insight? I couldn't answer that question for
anyone else.

-- 
Christina