For the record, this is the excerpt from your article that is being referred to as transphobic:
"I’ve had more training for what pronouns to call people and where our gender neutral bathrooms are than addressing sexual harassment,” So why is this quote a transphobic microaggression? It posits that trainings for supporting trans individuals are blocking or more important than sexual harassment training without any proof. This "versus" mentality also implies trans rights are of less value and should be secondary to other topics. In a sense, that quote suggests that sexual harassment might even have been prevented if not for all that malarkey training about pronouns, bathrooms, and the other silly trans civil rights issues. Of course, none of this is overt or directly negative, hence calling it a microaggression. Indirect suggestions are still hurtful. Anticipating some common responses, here are my rejoinders: 1. "I don't see it as transphobic." Do your opinions matter here? If you are trans, then your opinions do matter... somewhat. However, one contrary perspective does not necessarily mean something is not harmful. Regarding sexual harassment, should a complaint be ignored because one woman finds a comment or act innocent or playful instead of not harmful? 2. "It's a fact that we don't have time to do trainings on every issue. We have to make choices." I agree that resource limitations hinder our efforts, but one has to realize that there is no guilt-free way to tell someone that their rights to be are not important enough at the moment. Advocacy has a sordid, dark history of this. Abolitionists told suffragists to be quiet because they were hurting the fight against slavery. Suffragists focused mostly on the rights of white women, telling women of color their times will come. Civil rights pioneers quieted other movements, such as gay rights. LGBT advocacy has internal infighting over whether trans issues should be kept down for the time being. Advocates must acknowledge the harm they can cause others by saying one issue matters more. The point here is about harm. If you want to discuss how to advocate across the board and lessen such harm, I'm game for that separate discussion. 3. "It's not directly negative on trans issues." Yes. It's a microaggression. There is a huge body of literature on the topic that shows bigotry is not always overt but can be a literal thousands of small cuts that take a person down. Many of us will provide you with plenty of research and references if you want to learn more. 4. "Those weren't my words. I'm just quoting another person." That is true. However, you chose to include those words out of the thousands of other responses you have stated you have collected. You hold responsibility for echoing it. Now, that doesn't mean you couldn't have included it. You could have stated it with cautions about its problems. You could have included commentary on the challenge of addressing many civil rights issues given limited times for trainings and advocacy. 5. "I didn't see it as a problem when I wrote it." Okay. What are you going to do now? You can go back and revise. Add commentary. Address the problems directly. Apologize properly (none of the sorry you were offended crap). Katherine Deibel | PhD Inclusion & Accessibility Librarian Syracuse University Libraries T 315.443.7178 kndei...@syr.edu 222 Waverly Ave., Syracuse, NY 13244 Syracuse University -----Original Message----- From: Kate Deibel Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2019 9:25 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTS.CLIR.ORG Subject: RE: [CODE4LIB] Note [administratativia] What was false? What was an assumption? Katherine Deibel | PhD Inclusion & Accessibility Librarian Syracuse University Libraries T 315.443.7178 kndei...@syr.edu 222 Waverly Ave., Syracuse, NY 13244 Syracuse University -----Original Message----- From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB@LISTS.CLIR.ORG> On Behalf Of S B Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2019 9:22 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTS.CLIR.ORG Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Note [administratativia] You are making an assumption and false statement. Only part one of the series has been printed. There are more parts coming. Instead of asking me questions or having a courtesy of emailing me privately, choose to take the public route of criticizing. I hope positive discussion will happen here on Sexual Harassment in Libraries. Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 3, 2019, at 8:03 AM, Jenn C <jen...@gmail.com> wrote: > > As also not official, let me say that the vagueness of identity, lack > of research oversight and inclusion of transphobia in your "piece" > makes every concern about this article legitimate. > > I do not apologize. > >> On Wed, Jul 3, 2019 at 8:22 AM Craig Boman <craig.bo...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Dear Sunni, >> >> On behalf of the leaderless Code4lib community, for which I have no >> authority to represent, please allow us to apologize. In my short >> time participating in Code4lib it has been clear to me that Code4lib >> has been a place to talk about gender issues in library coding >> communities <https://code4lib.org/c4l18-keynote-statement/>. It has >> been a place to discuss diversity and inclusion in library coding >> communities <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWLSbIj4JjA>. As others >> have stated, I would like to reiterate that Code4lib is certainly a >> place to talk about sexual harassment within our technology >> perspectives; we are not sweeping this under the rug. Although this >> was not your first time posting to our listserv, we welcome and >> encourage your ongoing participation. We may not always get it right, but we >> hope to learn. >> >> Sincerely, >> Craig >> >> (he/him/his) >> Craig Boman, MLIS (Ph.D. student) >> Discovery Services Librarian and >> Assistant Librarian >> Miami University Libraries >> >> 302 King Library >> boma...@miamioh.edu >> ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7511-4078 >> >> "There is no education as that which comes from participation in the >> constant stream of events." - Jane Addams (1902, p. 93) Craig Bowman >> Craig Bauman >> >>> On Tue, Jul 2, 2019 at 7:38 PM Mike Giarlo <mjgia...@stanford.edu> wrote: >>> >>> Code4Lib has always been home both to technical and social >>> conversations (and everything in between). The mailing list blurb >>> may not effectively convey this, but this has been true for over >>> 12-13 years in my >> experience. >>> Discussions of what Code4Libbers can do to increase awareness of >>> sexual harassment in our world is *not* off-topic. >>> >>> What is off-topic, and off-base, is some of the inappropriate ad >>> hominem remarks in this thread that may have a chilling effect on the >>> discussion. >>> We all play a part in making Code4Lib a welcoming place, and I'm >>> sorry >> that >>> not all of us have lived up to that. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Mike Giarlo >>> >>> Software Engineer & Architect >>> >>> Digital Library Systems & Services >>> >>> Stanford Libraries >>> >>> ________________________________ >>> From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB@LISTS.CLIR.ORG> on behalf of >>> Edward Almasy <0000000e5cccdc3a-dmarc-requ...@lists.clir.org> >>> Sent: Tuesday, July 2, 2019 15:09 >>> To: CODE4LIB@LISTS.CLIR.ORG >>> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Note [administratativia] >>> >>> On Jul 2, 2019, at 1:03pm, Monica Westin <monica.e.wes...@gmail.com> >>> quoted: >>>> *This mailing list provides a forum for discussion all things >>>> relating >>> to programming code for libraries. This is a place to discuss >>> particular programming languages, but also provides a place to >>> discuss the issues of programming in libraries in general* >>> >>> I think discussion about sexual harassment issues is crucial, in the >>> library world and throughout our society, but it seems to me a >>> stretch to construe the above as having been intended to include it. >>> >>> One solution, used by some other communities, would be to create a >>> new "sister" list, named something like CODE4LIB-COMMUNITY, for >>> discussion of non-technical topics important to the Code4Lib community. >>> >>> Ed >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Edward Almasy <ealm...@scout.wisc.edu> Director • Internet Scout >>> Research Group Computer Sciences Dept • U of Wisconsin - Madison >>> 1210 W Dayton St • Madison WI 53706 • 3HCV+J6 >>> 608-262-6606 (voice) • 608-265-9296 (fax) >>> >>
