[Gllug] Hi!

[lesleyb at herlug.org.uk]

On Thu, Jul 09, 2009 at 09:42:58AM +0100, Hari Sekhon wrote:
> pavithran wrote:
> > 2009/7/8 John G Walker <johngeoffreywalker at yahoo.co.uk>:
> >   
> >> Incidentally, I estimate at this rate the list will achieve gender
> >> equality around about 2352, which is earlier than I thought it would,
> >>     
> > If the girl communities on free / open source softwares are not strong
> > . I am afraid the prediction of yours might just be true .
> > www.linuxchix.org is quite active and strangely the brazil team of
> > linuxchix is very active , even Indian linux chix is growing now with
> > a recent initiative to shift from linuxchix.org.in to
> > india.linuxchix.org because the domain owner un subscribed from
> > the list and was not responding to the lists !
> >
> > This same thred for instance where I asked about current london linux
> > chix chapter has got a reply asking anyone to volunteer but strangely
> > I waited to see some female replying .. alas girls are not interested
> > in linuxchix  .. why should I bother or I think with same pessimism
> > that gender equality wont be seen in my life time!!
> >   
> I personally think that girl only groups are a bad idea, mingling is 
> what is needed.
> 
> I'm sure there are lots of guys who would like to meet geeky linux 
> chicks just out of interest so it's not great for them to hide away in 
> their own exclusive groups!
> 
I am sure there are plenty of girl geeks who would also like to meet 
most of the geek guys out there.  I don't see having a single sex group
prevents that.  There are many groups, such as this and the London hackspace
that are mixed.

I don't know about Ubuntu or KDE women but I have found the Debian Women 
sub-project an oasis of calm and intelligent help.   

I am also happy to point out that I feel more confident
dealing with men in that particular environment because I have reasonable
confidence I won't be dealing with a negative set of attitudes and ideologies about
women and technology.

In the light of other recent events, I feel there is still a need for places where 
women can expect - not struggle or fight for but expect - to be treated as sane, 
intelligent geeks and not as objects of at best complete and utter strangeness and 
at worst for some other individual's gratification.  When you have had a day being confronted
with some of the rubbish that is out there it's good to know such environments exist.  I have no 
idea how you men cope :)

I also suspect the population is generally 48/52 with women in the majority so your estimate
of 2352 might need revising :)

Regards

Lesley
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