Hi Ken!

Changing the subject line as others suggested.

I would say there is a difference between telling someone "quietly" and telling someone "furtively" :)

We do the former and not the latter!

In our group - which for sure is not the same for everyone - but in our group we the organizers/volunteer helpers have expressly committed to a gender-free environment - so it is important to us not to draw attention to the past association between gender and the two dancing roles.
Most of our dancers have no clue there used to be an association: I love that.

It has honestly been magical for our group to witness the transformation that ensued in the "vibe" of our dances, once they went gender free.

It used to feel more intense, socially - there was more pressure to get the appropriate dance partner, there was more discomfort if you didn't match with the one you had hoped to, there was discomfort in avoiding some people.
I'm not saying that has disappeared - but it is palpably less. Many ppl have commented on this.

and in our case, our dance numbers are comparable in the gender-free environment to what they were previously  (45-90 people per dance), so I feel confident that our dancers like this approach just as much as we the organizers do...

Kat K

Mar 11, 2024 12:18:34 PM K P <kenwp1@gmail.com>:



On Mon, Mar 11, 2024, 10:58 Katherine Kitching <kat@outdooractive.ca> wrote:
You should sign your name at the bottom! :)

Indeed! I forgot. :)

Thanks for the reply of the experience in your community, Kat.

I am, however, somewhat troubled by one statement you made, below:


So it would be impossible in our community to recommend one role because you will get to dance with more ppl of the opposite gender as a result.  Some very-long-time members of our community still ask at the door when they need to choose a tag, which role is the "gents" or "ladies" role because they are comfortable swinging on that side/standing on that side, SO WE TELL THEM QUIETLY [emphasis mine].

I'm not quite sure what to make of tiis except to see it as form of shaming that it needs to be mentioned "quietly".  

???

Ken Panton