Women

[amnesiac]

Since the major reorganisation of the forums a few weeks back, it appears to me that our number of female users has dropped substantially. Do people feel a women's lounge would encourage more lesbian, bisexual and straight women to user the boards? Do we necessarily want to encourage more female usage?

[Bootyzilla]

Is it really an issue? I mean, there are no men-specific categories here (although I would imagine that most of our regular posters are male) and if there's one thing we ought to be striving to get rid of in Cork, it's the silly divide between the men & women that seems to exist.

[amnesiac]

Well that was the rationale behind merging the L G B boards under the Queer People heading. But I can never remember a time when the forums were so lacking in female input.

The divide that exists between men and women is due in no small part to the fact that women have never been afforded the same rights and opportunites as men in modern Irish society. And I include society at large and Queer culture in that assertion. Men dominate this public forum. As a man, I would prefer to see more gender balance and perhaps a section of the boards with a female slant would encourage more females to sign up or post more regularly. There was a time when the Top 10 posters were made up of roughly equal numbers of men and women. Now it's Slayer and Mary in a sea of testosterone.

[LeBaron]

Personaly I dont like the idea of a divide, I get a great kick out of the contributions from the women on this site, they are great.
( Most of the time I dont even know who is what )
And anyway 'tis breaking down divides we should be at, not making them.....

However if it would be an encouragement to more folk to contribute and later,as they become more confident, they would move out into the " general " forum then that would be a good thing

[Slayer]

Something needs to be done anyway. I'm sick of it only being myself and Mary looking pretty at the meet ups. [;)]

A women's lounge may be an idea, we women like our space, and I don't think it would stop women participating completely in the forum. (like anything would stop ME lol)

It could be a good idea.

[damien]

Yeah go for it. Bring it back if it gets more women posting.

[Bootyzilla]

Yes, but it's not like the rest of us all sit around spamming about how wonderful it is to own a dick, now, is it? And if I remember rightly didn't there used to be a Lesbians section that was merged into Queer People or similar? If there aren;t many women posting on the Forums it might be because they're not interested in posting. I doubt the lack of a Lesbians-Only section is the reason behind that.

[damien]

I agree with Booty, but as an experiment lets see will there be an increase in posts of a lesbian section is started again.

The trouble is if a lesbian section is created will there need to be on for the guys too, otherwise some people might see the whole site as being a male site with a section for the lesbians, as opposed to an all inclusive site.

[Proud Mary 1980]

I think there does need to be a womens section and if advertiesed right it may attract more female members. Having a womens section doesn't mean men can't post there, but it would be nice to have a space for us gals, cause if your not careful yer present female membership numbers may reduce some more.

[101333]

"Is it really an issue? I mean, there are no men-specific categories"

I agree with Bootyzilla

[redbulljunkie]

don't have "lesbian,gay men, and bisexual". just have "men and women".

[amnesiac]

Men don't need their own board... we are the dominant patriarchy!

[Proud Mary 1980]

I propose there would be a specific board within 'queer people'.

[Bootyzilla]

quoteOriginally posted by Proud Mary 1980
Having a womens section doesn't mean men can't post there

I doubt very much that the majority of male posters will deliberately open a Women's section. Staid but true. I don't think we should feel the need to pander to a small minority of lesbians who are into exclusivity (and I am NOT, repeat NOT including any of my fellow current posters in this!!), rather, accept the fact that Cork's lesbians seem to be less interested in forum posting than the gay men. It'd be interesting to see how many non-posting members are female and how many are male. I've been here for ages and I can't remember any huge Boys Vs. Girls threads at all, let alone ones that caused ructions.

Then again, this thread might just bring the ladies back anyway... it's all just so confusing -)

[Proud Mary 1980]

I just think its a shame, a few months back a bisexual user of this site congradulated GC on a specific thread for bi-sexual people, that no longer exists, it is good to have 'queer people' but add in more sections too.

[Bootyzilla]

I do understand what you're saying, and you have a point, I just hate seggregation and really do feel strongly that separate sections encourages that. I'd be the same if people were debating an all-male section.

[amnesiac]

I'm not a fan of segregation however I think it's important to celebrate DIVERSITY and recognise it, whilst also recognising that all people are born free and equal and remain so no matter what crimes they commit (such as liking the Spice Girls), what problems they develop, who they choose to fall in love with etc.

When a forum like ours appaers to have such a strong male bias, does that not cause segregation? As a woman who just happens upon our community online, is the content not a bit off-putting at the moment? I know we can't dictate the membership of our community, but I think it's important to encourgae some sort of gender balance.

Just as I think it's important that the police force in Northern Ireland have significant representatives from both the Nationalist and Unionist traditions. A significant number of people from ethnic minorites, different social classes, sexual orientation would be nice too )

[Proud Mary 1980]

I dislike seggregation too, bnut do we not have seggregation as it is?

[Bootyzilla]

quoteOriginally posted by amnesiacI know we can't dictate the membership of our community, but I think it's important to encourgae some sort of gender balance.

How will sectioning off the lesbians encourage gender balance? If anything, I think it'll mean missing out on a lot of vital female input in the rest of the forum topics. I mean, it's not like ads will be taken out in GCN blaring 'Visit GayCork.Com! Now With All-New Lesbian Wing!!', like some sort of strange breakfast cereal with hastily-added vitamin Sappho.

Actually, a few posts back, Damien made an excellent point; to newcomers, it will most likely seem that we have created the Lesbian section as an afterthought, and not as a means of encouraging lesbian membership.

Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that many of our lesbian memers just aren't interested in discussing what we do discuss? But if that's the case, they should be posting new topics with subject matter that appeals to them, not just dropping off the boards entirely.

[Proud Mary 1980]

A way to encourage a 'gender balance' would be to have the same about of female moderaters as male, and encourage female posters to get their friends to use the site and perhaps a female administrater.

[amnesiac]

We don't have that female input at the moment. The women's space I suggested is not an "alternative" board to section all the lesbains in... it's simply a space where any body can disuss women speciifc issues and the problems and experiences of queer culture exlcusive to women.

Anyway it's just an idea. I think it's sad (and vindicating) that onlt tow female users have repsonded to this argument.

I'm also asking the columinists on GayCork.com (Fabula, Scene Queen and Dr. Queer) to consider the "gender" issue.

[bo_selecta]

I was just about to make the same comment as Amnesiac on this one about the reposnse (or lack of) from the female users of the board!

I must say I am with Booty on this debate!

Look at some other web-boards...they dont need gender specific sections in order to survive or to encourage posts and responses from their female members.

[Bootyzilla]

Actually, what Mary has said is a great idea. There should of course be women on the board of powers-that-be for the site. And Amnesiac, you are right, it is sad that only 2 women have joined in, but I still can't see how a women-only section would resolve that.

[Bootyzilla]

Actually, now that I think about it (and hopefully someone in charge will have the facts and figures), didn't the old-format Lesbians section used to be one of the smallest sections anyway?

[bo_selecta]

There are 583 members registered to the site. Of that only 284 have actually posted. Am pretty sure that if you looked through the gender balance of the overall membership, it would be hugely male biased. You cannot force females to post if they are not even members.

[amnesiac]

Yes, whichh is why I'm in favour of a board that is open to both men and women gay, staight or bi. I sense a poll coming on!

[Bootyzilla]

Do you?

A board that is open to both men and women gay, staight or bi is exactly what we have now. Sectioning that board by basis of gender will close certain sections of it to members of the opposite sex or different sexual identity.

[Proud Mary 1980]

Is a poll fair considering the inequality in gender numbers?

[Bootyzilla]

Good point.

[Proud Mary 1980]

And just because GC May have s smaller female membership does that mean that there should not be a space for women

[Bootyzilla]

I don't think anyone has said that, though, to be fair.

[LeBaron]

Is that a membership of small females ?

[Proud Mary 1980]

Nobody has said it however judging on howmany women post, it could be implied.