Andrea Gardiner
Jul 30, 2017 · 1 min read

Elaine, I don’t avidly read ALL your blogs, and clearly missed one or some recently. However, your blogs are the ones I read most regularly. I enjoy your writing and learn from ‘listening’ to your thoughts and views.

At first, I was alarmed, it sounded as if you might be considering ceasing your blogging. I would miss it. And I would have been angry that your courage in making yourself vulnerable in an effort to stimulate meaningful discussion, had been rewarded with enough upset to stop your blog.

And then I felt a rush of “Go Girl” enthusiasm as you finish up staking your ground on your right to write and express your views, pointing out your clear efforts at fairness and reasonableness. Well done on rejecting any pressure to self censure!

Sadly, I wonder how much of this is to do with the gender issue. Confident expression of ones views is so much more socially acceptable by men than women. I never imagined as a teenager in the 70’s that women would still be grappling for fair treatment in 2017. It is deeply disappointing that unconscious bias, sexual harassment, glass ceilings and people getting their backs up because they feel threatened by the articulate expression of views by an intelligent and thoughtful women, all remain issues.

    Andrea Gardiner

    Written by

    Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
    Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
    Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade