Every time someone like Shelley, or me, posts about our frustrations with trying to participate in white-male-dominated technical contexts, a whole bunch of white males immediately point out to us that of course it?s not about gender. Of course women are treated exactly the same as men in this brave new gender-blind internet world. And if they aren?t, it?s clearly their own fault. They aren?t trying hard enough to get along, they?re not ?team players,? they don?t ?play well with others.?

Along those lines, I fully expect that 90% of the comments I get to this post will come from white men, most of whom will want to tell me just how hard they had it, how their dominant status never bought them anything, how women and men face the same challenges, the same problems, yada yada yada. I?m not accusing those men of lies or hypocrisy. I believe that many of them are genuinely committed to gender equality, and that they believe that they?re ?gender blind? in their interactions with others. But like me taking my safe, suburban school for granted, they?re taking their male-dominated work environments for granted.

Any story that has to go to David Horowtiz for its first quote from a critic is already in trouble.