The Dilemma of Women's Chess
Pay attention, because this is important. It goes well beyond The Sociology of Chess (November 2016).
Alexandra Botez shares a personal experience about sexual harassment & predatory behavior in chess (34:50) • '[Published on] Jun 23, 2020'
The title could have been 'Alexandra Botez shares a personal experience about sexual harassment & predatory behavior' -- the video isn't about just chess. The top comment of the 522 comments says,
Gotta report stuff. My daughter reported all three incidents that happened to her and in all three cases the pervert turned out to have assaulted multiple girls. By reporting it she prevented them from future assaults.
At 20:35, WFM Botez wonders, 'I'm also encouraging more girls to get into a space that I know is nasty and toxic. Is that even the right thing to do?' Therein lies a dilemma. And for all those men who question the need for women-only tournaments, there is your answer.
For more about one of the top streamers in chess see Wikipedia's Alexandra Botez. Bravo, Alexandra!
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1 comment:
Hi Mark
As a long time reader of your blog, I envy your persistence in digging up relevant and interesting blog material.
That being said, women's chess is a hot potato. Sexism, discrimination and FIDE's ''laisser-faire'' attitude towards female empowerment allow for volumes to be written about what is wrong with chess, in particular, and modern society in general.
I am not certain if Alexandra is the best spokesperson for issues regarding women's chess. Twitch is no recommendation for sainthood.
Kevin Spraggett
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