News/Commentary

Men overrun women’s job fair after they go ‘woke’

October 4, 2023 | | Print Article

So-called “non-binary” men invaded a woke conference for women in tech, many fibbing about their gender to gain access so they could submit resumes to potential employers.

(Video Credit: AnitaB_org)

That may sound dishonest, unethical, and just plain silly, but factor in that some of those men literally pushed women out of line and cut in front of others to get a chance at a job and you realize that it’s the most 2023 thing ever.

The Grace Hopper Celebration is an annual conference and career fair that is meant for women and is designed to “bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront.” It took place September 26 to 29 in Orlando, Florida and this year, a lot of men descended on the event with their resumes in hand, hoping to land a tech position which seems harder and harder to do so these days.

The event markets itself on its website as the “world’s largest gathering of women and non-binary technologists,” and tickets go for about $1,300 apiece.

“These men are acting like zoo animals, sprinting to the booths, and physically hurting some of the attendees,” one person wrote on social media according to OutKick.

@designalily Sharing the receipts of what happened at Grace Hopper conference this year. #womenintech #womanintech #gracehopper #womeninstem #techconference ♬ original sound – Lily | Product designer

@cosmicnaut Wow these allies are sure great and are not obviously there for the career fair. #gracehopperconference #gracehoppercelebration #ghc23 #ILovewomen #wayfair ♬ the cat from ipanema – j1gggs

One product designer named Lily Li contended that the men didn’t attend the panels and seminars. Instead, they mobbed the job fair.

“This is a space for women in tech,” a Grace Hopper attendee asserted, according to OutKick. “This is one of those few, limited resources that isn’t for you. It’s for us.”

“Chaos was the word of the day,” a woman named Preeti Ladwa stated. “Many men, attending as non-allies, overstepped boundaries. We witnessed inappropriate comments, breaches of personal space, and a sheer lack of decorum.”

AnitaB is the nonprofit that put on the event. The organization commented on LinkedIn that there was “an increase in participation of self-identifying males” at this year’s gathering. The nonprofit also claimed it couldn’t ban men from attending because of federal nondiscrimination protections.

There were so many men taking advantage of the loophole that AnitaB’s chief impact officer stood up at the conference to accuse some registrants of lying about their gender identity. He pointed out that men were taking up space and time with recruiters that should go to women.

“All of those are limited resources to which you have no right,” he informed the men who pretty much ignored the admonition.

Bo Young Lee, who is AnitaB’s advisory president, put up a video on LinkedIn Friday addressing the issue. She remarked that the event had always felt like “a safe and loving and embracing” place in the past.

“This year, I must admit, I didn’t feel this way,” Lee commented. “And I know that many of you felt the same. Many of you are feeling unsafe, physically, and psychologically, and you’re feeling unheard.”

“We tried to create a safe space, and this week we saw the outside world creep in. This makes me angry, and it makes me sad, but mostly it makes me want to fight,” she added.

The incident at Grace Hopper was entirely predictable. Given the state of the economy and the progressive woke nature of gender-fluidity these days, it was bound to happen.

Many women coders, who are number and fact-driven by nature, seem to have embraced that a man can be a woman. They should not be surprised when men take advantage of that viewpoint.

Latest posts by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton (see all)

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