to all the people including non males
that aren’t feminists I get why you feel
this way in fact a few short years ago I
didn’t really consider myself a feminist
the people around me responded with
negativity whatever the word feminism
was brought up in conversation my
relationship to the word feminist has
been on two opposing ends of the
spectrum
this likely stemmed from the way I grew
up I’ve been a Girl Scout since first
grade I was involved in all sorts of
activities and ended up being one of the
youngest girls to receive my gold ward
in my class throughout my childhood I
had many female CEOs and leaders to look
up to nothing I participated in ever
discriminated against females since I
did not have any negative experiences at
this age the thought that women were not
equal to men in this society was a
foreign concept to me one I didn’t
experience and one I didn’t necessarily
believe was a large problem while these
activities made me a well-rounded strong
and confident person it wasn’t a
reflection of everything else in the
world
one experience is not a universal
experience the beginning of any change
starts with reflection and personal
paradigm shifts allowing our own
experiences and the experiences of
others to shift our worldview is
extremely important when I started to
hear about the controversies surrounding
feminism I honestly didn’t identify
myself as a feminist I would never have
imagined that it would become a key part
of my identity so many people acted
negatively when the word was mentioned
so I didn’t see why I should associate
myself with that yeah I believed in
equality but where things really so
unequal in the status quo well yeah they
were but since I didn’t experience it
and I wasn’t close with anyone that had
I kind of dismissed the idea to dismiss
the idea of gender inequality just
because I didn’t experience it was wrong
now when I hear people say I’m not a
feminist but I believe in equality I ask
why most of the time it’s because they
are unsure of what feminism really is
they’ve only seen the exaggerated
versions or negative stereotypes in the
media the definition is simple feminism
means believing
Equal Rights women aren’t privileged in
society and they’ve historically had to
fight for their rights think voting
think equal pay for equal work
or the ability to control our own bodies
that’s why it’s called feminism feminism
doesn’t believe in a superior gender it
simply believes that every gender should
have equal rights of course feminism
means to be intersectional
intersectionality takes into account
various aspects of identity like race
class ability and H intersectional
feminism acknowledges the unique
experiences of all people and fights
with the inclusion of everyone now if
you still think this is too abstract or
irrelevant let me get back to what
completely altered my perspective every
idea I held about gender equality was
challenged when I joined policy debate
in high school I had never been the only
girl in a room of more than 10 guys
while being the punchline of a
distasteful joke I had never been
purposely excluded based solely on my
gender or disadvantaged because of
certain policies and double standards
that never once worked in my favor
I know I know policy debate doesn’t seem
like a place that would be terrible for
women but for the most part it is an
article titled women in high school
debate by Jason drew Griffin and Holly
Jane Rader discussed some of the reasons
why there’s so much sexism in debate and
why female participation remains low for
one the characteristics valued in public
speaking are masculine people that are
assertive and have deep voices are more
successful men often talk over women or
as seen as having control in the round
when girls don’t allow this they are
labeled as psychotic if they don’t
interrupt the guy or point it out
they are criticized for being quiet and
weak they’re stuck in a catch-22 having
a high-pitched voice is traditionally
seen as feminine and annoying Society
has told us that those characteristics
are unfavorable if that wasn’t bad
enough the issue of few female role
models continues the cycle of low female
participation from the outside it looks
like a male-dominated activity which can
be intimidating not only our debaters
male but so our teachers and coaches
when there’s only one girl on the team
it can mean more money for hotels or
chaperones
so can sometimes disincentivize coaches
from bringing girls to national
tournaments the examples in the article
work from 1989 and I can tell you
nothing much has changed in fact I
related to every word last season my
partner made me switch speaker positions
because he felt uncomfortable with me in
the dominant role I’ve been talked over
excluded and ridiculed didn’t matter how
many hours of work I put in things just
never really got better policy debate is
often considered the training ground for
future politicians and activists just
like in debate there is low female
representation in the government here’s
a quote from Ruth Bader Ginsburg now the
perception is yes women are here to stay
and when I’m sometimes asked one will
there be enough women on the Supreme
Court and I say when there are nine
people are shocked but there’d been nine
men and nobody’s ever raised a question
about that
at first it might seem a bit radical all
women wait what that’s unfair but then
you think no one ever seems to question
the presence of masculinity in power or
politics why should it be any different
for non male people the same reason
girls are criticized in debate are
similar to the reasons there are fewer
women in politics
Society has told us it is normal to see
men in positions of power but it is
unnatural to see a woman or a non
masculine person in the same position
after a political debate a reporter may
ask a man about his stance on a certain
policy while they ask a woman what
designer are you wearing tonight for
some reason women are treated
differently asking how they balance a
job and family or how they stay
physically fit when was the last time
anyone asked a man how he balances work
and kids or what brand of suit he
prefers why do we jump to a woman’s
appearance but a man’s agenda low
representation is especially an issue
when old white men are deciding on laws
that affect all women’s bodies according
to the Center for American women in
politics women make up only nineteen
point eight percent of Congress and only
about 20% of executives in
governments so far in 2018 an even
smaller percentage of these women are
women of color how can a country as
diverse as the United States be
represented by a government primarily of
white males when our population is made
up of so many different genders races
and cultures just like in the government
girls make up a small portion of the
debate community behind me there are
quotes from debate girls I’ve been
called some disgusting things to my face
and behind my back
I learned to expect it when I first
heard these things I tried to play it
cool after all what’s the harm in a few
questionable jokes I got called good for
a girl they called me and my argument
stupid if I said or did something I got
so much crap for it but if a guy did it
it was more than fine I got called
uglier than a water buffalo to my face
in a room full of people that said
nothing instances of discrimination
affected my competitive success whether
it was too expensive to take a girl or
if no one wanted to be my partner
because they couldn’t control me which
clearly undermined their fragile
masculinity or perhaps the thought of
associating themselves with feminism was
so disgusting they’d rather lose a
debate round than be seen with a girl
that embraced it society at large is
culpable for the stigma many people have
experienced sexual assault or instances
that could have easily turned into that
when they tell me about their
experiences thoughts immediately fill my
head I’ve been through something similar
it could have been me that was my friend
the anger the pain the sadness
eventually just evolves into
disappointment after all this behavior
seems expected there wouldn’t be enough
time for me to even list all of the
awful things that have happened a girl
that prefers to be kept anonymous
allowed me to share her story during her
junior year a senior guy well-known
pursued her he wanted to hook up with
her wouldn’t take no for an answer and
went so far as to show up at her door he
followed her and made her feel extremely
uncomfortable when she confided in a
male friend he responded with you know
you liked it another instance was a
group chat that read and girl
bodies and included disgusting comments
about rape even if the perpetrators are
punished it happens time and time again
all the guys face few consequences while
the girls still carry the scars today
people that victim blame or don’t take
survivor story seriously probably have
never watched their friend cry herself
to sleep or had to watch her be scared
to go back to her room because a creepy
guy might try to break in
I myself have received some unwanted
attention which usually gets one of my
signature sassy remarks whether it is a
guy being sexist or trying and failing
to slide into my DMS I take great
pleasure in screenshotting their idiotic
responses what do you think of sass you
probably think of a witty remark in a
feminine voice or perhaps a child
talking back to their parents well it
has become my natural instinct it is a
form of unapologetically telling it how
it is
especially in instances where the Sasser
is responding to someone in a position
of power when people in position of the
power act in an inappropriate manner we
shouldn’t be expected to sugarcoat our
responses this sass becomes our power
our way of voicing our opinions and
telling the truth even if we are
expected to like it or be submissive
the only time sass didn’t work for me
was when I was in a public area leaving
a restroom a strange man came up to me
and grabbed me I was terrified I clearly
wasn’t expecting it he ended up just
asking me for directions but my skin
still crawls when I think of the
incident a strange dude touching me was
just so unnecessary but I’m lucky I know
that I’m lucky because I’ve seen awful
things I’ve been the shoulder to cry on
and I’ve listened to so many stories
until I felt the effects of sexism I
didn’t know how any type of
discrimination actually felt they all
feel different and I have only
experienced one others bear the weight
of many obviously I can only speak to my
experience which in reality is not all
that bad one of my teammates once asked
me when was the last time someone was
intentionally sexist that’s the thing
the privilege often don’t recognize that
their behaviors are problematic their
words and actions
are normal in a society that allows
inequality to continue whether it’s
intentional or not if we don’t explain
this or call it out they will never know
intersectionality
the understanding that there are
different layers and factors to an
individual experience is so important if
you are white able-bodied rich and
educated it is easy to forget privilege
now that description pretty much fits me
I have endless amounts of privilege yes
I have experienced sexism since I’m a
female but since I’m white I’ve never
experienced racism I’m going to college
in the fall and nearly everything in the
world is accessible to me down to the
fact that I’m right-handed I’ve never
even had to look for lefty scissors at
once like many people I didn’t
acknowledge the fact that I was often
complicit with structures and that
harmed so many in our society yes I knew
these things existed and I thought that
they were bad who wouldn’t think that or
at least claim that they did we have to
realize that the ideas indoctrinated by
society past and present aren’t always
morally correct maybe you haven’t felt
any of it and I’m so happy that you
haven’t truly maybe you are lucky enough
to lack friends that have experienced
sexual assault maybe you are lucky
enough to have representation in your
field and maybe you are lucky enough to
avoid the disgusting comments that
follow many women the thing is you are
lucky not everyone has this privilege
nearly every girl I know has at the very
least been catcalled while walking down
the street or has been man slain – maybe
you have as well but just lack the words
to express the subtle patriarchal
practices we see almost daily just
because you don’t feel some type of
oppression doesn’t mean it is not there
unfortunately I still have female
friends that aren’t feminists which
often occurs alongside the dismissal of
other social issues they cringe when I
mentioned the word patriarchy and tell
me feminism is a bunch of whiny BS they
victim blame shame and make excuses
for the privileged population they
believe their worldview does not have
the ability to be challenged with
I’m experienced many may grow to
understand accepting the problems of the
status quo will not lead to any positive
change we must be open to hearing other
people’s experiences and opinions and
ask results how we can be allies in
today’s society mutual respect and
openness are both extremely important
even if it makes you uncomfortable this
doesn’t just apply to feminism it can be
applied to almost any area of life or
any idea new beginnings start with an
open mind a better future it begins with
questioning the present and refusing to
conform to the standards set by the
dogmatic society that may surround us so
to all the unwavering nom feminists out
there just be open-minded and willing to
listen for your best friends your
sisters your biggest advocates and your
society thank you [Applause]
that aren’t feminists I get why you feel
this way in fact a few short years ago I
didn’t really consider myself a feminist
the people around me responded with
negativity whatever the word feminism
was brought up in conversation my
relationship to the word feminist has
been on two opposing ends of the
spectrum
this likely stemmed from the way I grew
up I’ve been a Girl Scout since first
grade I was involved in all sorts of
activities and ended up being one of the
youngest girls to receive my gold ward
in my class throughout my childhood I
had many female CEOs and leaders to look
up to nothing I participated in ever
discriminated against females since I
did not have any negative experiences at
this age the thought that women were not
equal to men in this society was a
foreign concept to me one I didn’t
experience and one I didn’t necessarily
believe was a large problem while these
activities made me a well-rounded strong
and confident person it wasn’t a
reflection of everything else in the
world
one experience is not a universal
experience the beginning of any change
starts with reflection and personal
paradigm shifts allowing our own
experiences and the experiences of
others to shift our worldview is
extremely important when I started to
hear about the controversies surrounding
feminism I honestly didn’t identify
myself as a feminist I would never have
imagined that it would become a key part
of my identity so many people acted
negatively when the word was mentioned
so I didn’t see why I should associate
myself with that yeah I believed in
equality but where things really so
unequal in the status quo well yeah they
were but since I didn’t experience it
and I wasn’t close with anyone that had
I kind of dismissed the idea to dismiss
the idea of gender inequality just
because I didn’t experience it was wrong
now when I hear people say I’m not a
feminist but I believe in equality I ask
why most of the time it’s because they
are unsure of what feminism really is
they’ve only seen the exaggerated
versions or negative stereotypes in the
media the definition is simple feminism
means believing
Equal Rights women aren’t privileged in
society and they’ve historically had to
fight for their rights think voting
think equal pay for equal work
or the ability to control our own bodies
that’s why it’s called feminism feminism
doesn’t believe in a superior gender it
simply believes that every gender should
have equal rights of course feminism
means to be intersectional
intersectionality takes into account
various aspects of identity like race
class ability and H intersectional
feminism acknowledges the unique
experiences of all people and fights
with the inclusion of everyone now if
you still think this is too abstract or
irrelevant let me get back to what
completely altered my perspective every
idea I held about gender equality was
challenged when I joined policy debate
in high school I had never been the only
girl in a room of more than 10 guys
while being the punchline of a
distasteful joke I had never been
purposely excluded based solely on my
gender or disadvantaged because of
certain policies and double standards
that never once worked in my favor
I know I know policy debate doesn’t seem
like a place that would be terrible for
women but for the most part it is an
article titled women in high school
debate by Jason drew Griffin and Holly
Jane Rader discussed some of the reasons
why there’s so much sexism in debate and
why female participation remains low for
one the characteristics valued in public
speaking are masculine people that are
assertive and have deep voices are more
successful men often talk over women or
as seen as having control in the round
when girls don’t allow this they are
labeled as psychotic if they don’t
interrupt the guy or point it out
they are criticized for being quiet and
weak they’re stuck in a catch-22 having
a high-pitched voice is traditionally
seen as feminine and annoying Society
has told us that those characteristics
are unfavorable if that wasn’t bad
enough the issue of few female role
models continues the cycle of low female
participation from the outside it looks
like a male-dominated activity which can
be intimidating not only our debaters
male but so our teachers and coaches
when there’s only one girl on the team
it can mean more money for hotels or
chaperones
so can sometimes disincentivize coaches
from bringing girls to national
tournaments the examples in the article
work from 1989 and I can tell you
nothing much has changed in fact I
related to every word last season my
partner made me switch speaker positions
because he felt uncomfortable with me in
the dominant role I’ve been talked over
excluded and ridiculed didn’t matter how
many hours of work I put in things just
never really got better policy debate is
often considered the training ground for
future politicians and activists just
like in debate there is low female
representation in the government here’s
a quote from Ruth Bader Ginsburg now the
perception is yes women are here to stay
and when I’m sometimes asked one will
there be enough women on the Supreme
Court and I say when there are nine
people are shocked but there’d been nine
men and nobody’s ever raised a question
about that
at first it might seem a bit radical all
women wait what that’s unfair but then
you think no one ever seems to question
the presence of masculinity in power or
politics why should it be any different
for non male people the same reason
girls are criticized in debate are
similar to the reasons there are fewer
women in politics
Society has told us it is normal to see
men in positions of power but it is
unnatural to see a woman or a non
masculine person in the same position
after a political debate a reporter may
ask a man about his stance on a certain
policy while they ask a woman what
designer are you wearing tonight for
some reason women are treated
differently asking how they balance a
job and family or how they stay
physically fit when was the last time
anyone asked a man how he balances work
and kids or what brand of suit he
prefers why do we jump to a woman’s
appearance but a man’s agenda low
representation is especially an issue
when old white men are deciding on laws
that affect all women’s bodies according
to the Center for American women in
politics women make up only nineteen
point eight percent of Congress and only
about 20% of executives in
governments so far in 2018 an even
smaller percentage of these women are
women of color how can a country as
diverse as the United States be
represented by a government primarily of
white males when our population is made
up of so many different genders races
and cultures just like in the government
girls make up a small portion of the
debate community behind me there are
quotes from debate girls I’ve been
called some disgusting things to my face
and behind my back
I learned to expect it when I first
heard these things I tried to play it
cool after all what’s the harm in a few
questionable jokes I got called good for
a girl they called me and my argument
stupid if I said or did something I got
so much crap for it but if a guy did it
it was more than fine I got called
uglier than a water buffalo to my face
in a room full of people that said
nothing instances of discrimination
affected my competitive success whether
it was too expensive to take a girl or
if no one wanted to be my partner
because they couldn’t control me which
clearly undermined their fragile
masculinity or perhaps the thought of
associating themselves with feminism was
so disgusting they’d rather lose a
debate round than be seen with a girl
that embraced it society at large is
culpable for the stigma many people have
experienced sexual assault or instances
that could have easily turned into that
when they tell me about their
experiences thoughts immediately fill my
head I’ve been through something similar
it could have been me that was my friend
the anger the pain the sadness
eventually just evolves into
disappointment after all this behavior
seems expected there wouldn’t be enough
time for me to even list all of the
awful things that have happened a girl
that prefers to be kept anonymous
allowed me to share her story during her
junior year a senior guy well-known
pursued her he wanted to hook up with
her wouldn’t take no for an answer and
went so far as to show up at her door he
followed her and made her feel extremely
uncomfortable when she confided in a
male friend he responded with you know
you liked it another instance was a
group chat that read and girl
bodies and included disgusting comments
about rape even if the perpetrators are
punished it happens time and time again
all the guys face few consequences while
the girls still carry the scars today
people that victim blame or don’t take
survivor story seriously probably have
never watched their friend cry herself
to sleep or had to watch her be scared
to go back to her room because a creepy
guy might try to break in
I myself have received some unwanted
attention which usually gets one of my
signature sassy remarks whether it is a
guy being sexist or trying and failing
to slide into my DMS I take great
pleasure in screenshotting their idiotic
responses what do you think of sass you
probably think of a witty remark in a
feminine voice or perhaps a child
talking back to their parents well it
has become my natural instinct it is a
form of unapologetically telling it how
it is
especially in instances where the Sasser
is responding to someone in a position
of power when people in position of the
power act in an inappropriate manner we
shouldn’t be expected to sugarcoat our
responses this sass becomes our power
our way of voicing our opinions and
telling the truth even if we are
expected to like it or be submissive
the only time sass didn’t work for me
was when I was in a public area leaving
a restroom a strange man came up to me
and grabbed me I was terrified I clearly
wasn’t expecting it he ended up just
asking me for directions but my skin
still crawls when I think of the
incident a strange dude touching me was
just so unnecessary but I’m lucky I know
that I’m lucky because I’ve seen awful
things I’ve been the shoulder to cry on
and I’ve listened to so many stories
until I felt the effects of sexism I
didn’t know how any type of
discrimination actually felt they all
feel different and I have only
experienced one others bear the weight
of many obviously I can only speak to my
experience which in reality is not all
that bad one of my teammates once asked
me when was the last time someone was
intentionally sexist that’s the thing
the privilege often don’t recognize that
their behaviors are problematic their
words and actions
are normal in a society that allows
inequality to continue whether it’s
intentional or not if we don’t explain
this or call it out they will never know
intersectionality
the understanding that there are
different layers and factors to an
individual experience is so important if
you are white able-bodied rich and
educated it is easy to forget privilege
now that description pretty much fits me
I have endless amounts of privilege yes
I have experienced sexism since I’m a
female but since I’m white I’ve never
experienced racism I’m going to college
in the fall and nearly everything in the
world is accessible to me down to the
fact that I’m right-handed I’ve never
even had to look for lefty scissors at
once like many people I didn’t
acknowledge the fact that I was often
complicit with structures and that
harmed so many in our society yes I knew
these things existed and I thought that
they were bad who wouldn’t think that or
at least claim that they did we have to
realize that the ideas indoctrinated by
society past and present aren’t always
morally correct maybe you haven’t felt
any of it and I’m so happy that you
haven’t truly maybe you are lucky enough
to lack friends that have experienced
sexual assault maybe you are lucky
enough to have representation in your
field and maybe you are lucky enough to
avoid the disgusting comments that
follow many women the thing is you are
lucky not everyone has this privilege
nearly every girl I know has at the very
least been catcalled while walking down
the street or has been man slain – maybe
you have as well but just lack the words
to express the subtle patriarchal
practices we see almost daily just
because you don’t feel some type of
oppression doesn’t mean it is not there
unfortunately I still have female
friends that aren’t feminists which
often occurs alongside the dismissal of
other social issues they cringe when I
mentioned the word patriarchy and tell
me feminism is a bunch of whiny BS they
victim blame shame and make excuses
for the privileged population they
believe their worldview does not have
the ability to be challenged with
I’m experienced many may grow to
understand accepting the problems of the
status quo will not lead to any positive
change we must be open to hearing other
people’s experiences and opinions and
ask results how we can be allies in
today’s society mutual respect and
openness are both extremely important
even if it makes you uncomfortable this
doesn’t just apply to feminism it can be
applied to almost any area of life or
any idea new beginnings start with an
open mind a better future it begins with
questioning the present and refusing to
conform to the standards set by the
dogmatic society that may surround us so
to all the unwavering nom feminists out
there just be open-minded and willing to
listen for your best friends your
sisters your biggest advocates and your
society thank you [Applause]
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