Causing Multiple Gender Fenders

(My high school used to have ‘gender war rallies,’ where the guys dressed in blue and the girls dressed in pink and there were questionable games played to earn points and ‘win.’ Guys were asked ‘girly’ questions and vice versa and they also would do the ‘other genders’’ jobs, such as putting on girly clothes or catching a football. It was so stupid. And this was still happening in 2009! During my senior year, my advanced writing class is working on a big assignment about on-campus and social media bullies. The teacher manages to get the vice principal and another administrator to come in and explain how they manage to deal with bullies and victims. Everyone is satisfied with their answers until I raise my hand:)

Me: “What about the gender wars? Every year when we have them, everybody acts like they’re seven years old, partake in the most stereotypical activities, and throw insults to each other. It divides the school for a day.”

Classmate #1: “But EVERYONE is doing it, so it’s okay.”

Me: “I’m not doing it and I don’t like to be told that I’m a ‘know-nothing girl’ who only likes makeup and listens to Spice Girls. Sometimes, when the girls are losing, someone adds extra points, as if we need to be thrown a bone or something. It’s insulting. Gender wars are put on to see who could ‘win’, but when the girls are losing, they tilt in our favor so we won’t feel ‘bad’.”

Classmate #2: “You’re just being sensitive. It’s a fun event.”

Me: “Not for me and I’m sure there are other people who feel the same way I do. I sometimes see insulting signs from both sides, like ‘make me a sandwich.’ I’m not seven again. I don’t like my gender being pointed out to me.”

(Other classmates argued with me for a bit, but it died down as we focused on other problems with bullies. That year, I wore a purple T-shirt with a sign attached exclaiming ‘purple out of protest!’, but I still had to go to the event. The whole time I saw the vice principal and the other administrator demanding for the kids to hand over the insulting signs each side had, one reading ‘Cee Yo* Next Tuesday’. Later, the special-ed kids, whom I help with homework, told me that they didn’t like it because everyone was being so mean to each other. Before the end of the day, the vice principal announced on the intercom that gender war rallies were cancelled forever.)