Debaters Against Sexism: Taking a Stand

We received an email from the people organizing Debaters Against Sexism:

Attached is an article that we would like published as soon as possible; I hope it'll be pretty self-explanatory when you read this. I, along with Catherine Tarsney, Diana Li, Karlyn Gorski, Bekah Boyer, Mike Bietz, and many other debaters have been working on this nonstop for the past two days, and we'd like to get this published as soon as possible.

Debaters Against Sexism: Taking a Stand

To the debatecommunity:

We begin by deciding to write a pledge. We need a beginning, astepping stone. This pledge is meant to provide a concrete platform for thecommunity to demonstrate our readiness to confront the issue of genderdiscrimination in debate, and to fight back. We will use this as a springboard todemand change in the community. There is so much we can do, and we’ve decidedto stop waiting to do it. Of course, it doesn’t end with the pledge. Butit starts with a commitment—and every signature counts.

A Pledge to Fight Gender Discrimination

Preface:

We are tired of online discussions about gender disparities indebate dying out without resulting in any concrete changes. We are tired ofsexism becoming the talk of the day, and then fading away as people settle backinto their normal routines of cutting cards and trying to win tournaments. Weare tired of waiting for someone else to do something, so we are taking a standnow.

The biggest problem is not that tournament rules are written todisadvantage women, or that workshop and institute policies don't account forsexual harassment (although policies lacking enforcement are meaningless). Thebiggest problem is the way that we as a community behave. Gender discriminationis so prevalent because we fail to embrace mature dialogue, underestimate thepower of disparaging remarks, and stigmatize victims.

We need to examine the way we think and behave as a community;no real change can occur until we do.

To that end, we have written a pledge for debaters to take asa stand against discrimination of gender identity/expression in debate:

I believe that alldebaters, judges, and coaches, regardless of gender identity/expression deserveto feel safe and supported at tournaments, at workshops and institutes, andwithin their teams. By signing this pledge, I promise to:

●    Avoid usingdiscriminatory language or slurs when speaking about other debaters, judges,and coaches.

●    Be willing to a)point out problematic language when I hear it and b) accept responsibility if Isay something harmful out of ignorance or privilege.

●    Support effortsto end gender discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment, and encourageothers to take a stand.

●    Intervene, if Isafely can, or tell an adult about situations where members of the communityare being sexually harassed or bullied.

●    Respect andempower victims to have confidence in themselves.

I will not be abystander. I will take a stand against gender discrimination in debate.

Please visit http://www.debatersagainstsexism.org/ to joinus in signing the pledge. This website will also be the host of our futureefforts to create change. By introducing this into the community dialogue, wehope to call attention to the words and actions we take. Sexism is oftensubtle, but ignoring the subtleties will only perpetuate the problem. We havesigned this pledge as a reminder to ourselves to be aware of and sensitive togender discrimination, sexual harassment, and bullying whenever it occurs. Wehope you will, too.

Pledge Signatories:

1. Elana Leone, The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, MD

2. Annie Kors, Harvard Westlake School, CA

3. Karlyn Gorski, University of Chicago, IL

4. Shania Hunt, Northland Christian School, TX

5. Catherine Tarsney, University of Chicago, IL

6. Megan N. Nubel, West Des Moines Valley High School, IA

7. Bekah Boyer,Colleyville Heritage ‘09, Southern MethodistUniversity ‘13, Greenhill School TX

8. Rebecca Kuang, Greenhill School, TX

9. Jessica Levy, Walt Whitman High School, MD

10. Cindi Timmons, Greenhill School, TX

11. Allie Woodhouse, Winston Churchill High School, TX

12. Lucy Korsakov, West Des Moines Valley High School, IA