I'm sorry this newsletter is reaching you late. I don't have a good excuse - I was trying to do too much last week, including two research heavy articles plus some paid work and didn't get anything finished.
But anyway, as I was hiking yesterday and not writing a newsletter post for you, a comment I overheard on the trail stood out to me.
A family was walking up the same steep, dry, uphill trail, behind me and my partner. We had passed them a minute ago, as one of the kids was slumped hanging onto his mom's waist and complaining bitterly.
“C'mon, you should be able to do this,” I heard the mom say from behind me. “I'm a 44 year old woman and I can hike this trail and you're a 10 year old boy!”
The way she said it, the way I heard it, was at least as much about gender as about age.
I find this interesting because it's an illustration of how stereotypes differ from reality.
Like, clearly, this 44 year old woman was having a much easier time hiking uphill than the kid. Maybe she was more motivated, or more in shape, or had drank some more water, or was having a better day in general. But to assume because of her age and gender that she would be weaker with less stamina was just factually wrong!
While this stereotype wasn't hurting anyone much, I suppose, similar inaccurate stereotypes can be very harmful.
Like the stereotype that trans girls can always beat cis girls in athletic competition. It's proveably not true, but laws have been passed to limit kids from playing sports based on this kind of stereotype.
(Have you seen trans people? We have higher rates of chronic pain than the general population. We are not generally more athletic or superhuman than average. Okay, maybe Elliot Page seems to be rocking some washboard abs on Instagram lately but he's a famous movie star with a personal trainer)
I don't think we need to limit ourselves with these stereotypes of ability based on gender. They are generally not true, and can be unnecessarily discouraging.
I know so many women who are incredible physical athletes. And so many women who simply enjoy exercise like going on walks or training in martial arts. These people are amazing and we should celebrate them!
I hope we can try to find more joy and fewer harmful gender stereotypes in our physical abilities, whatever those might be.
For some inspiration for finding joy, check out Mike De Socio’s guest post:
Mike De Socio
Quick escape button
I added a new safety feature to Amplify Respect's website.
Now, you'll see a button hovering in the bottom left that says "quick escape." This shows up on the website, but not in the emails (there is no option to add a floating button to an email).
If you click the button on the website, you'll be redirected to weather.com and one page will be cleared from your browser history.
This is because some people might be closeted or might not wish to have a conversation about what they were reading on an LGBTQ+ site with someone who walks in.
Coming later this week
My report on a recent alternative to an invasive cervical cancer screening: the self administered HPV test vs the pap smear.
Anything interesting happen this weekend? Tell us about it in the comments!
