Posts Written by Tara

There’s no crying in intramural basketball, but there is gender discrimination

When I was a kid, the first person who told me I can play basketball just as good as the boys was my dad. He, along with my mother and my brother, told me never to apologize for being the fastest girl on the basketball court or on the track. For the most part, I grew up with positive gender consciousness, and participating in sports, along with family support, made that possible.

At thirty-years-old, I continue to pride myself in the gender work that I do in academia and in the community. I teach two introductory women’s studies courses; one as an assistant instructor at Barnard, and the other at an urban after-school community center. I have a master’s degree in Women’s Studies. I’ve written about gender inequality countless times before. I’ve held my own in discussions about gender discrimination at conferences, dinner tables, and Twitter streams. I do this work everyday. I don’t expect accolades for what I do or for who I am. What I do expect, however, is that after a long day of studying, writing, teaching, and talking about gender discrimination, I can go to a community gym and play ball with guys without my gender being an issue.

So why, on Monday night, was I crying because some skinny ‘white’ guy with a clipboard questioned my ability to play basketball?

I’ve always been that tough girl who stayed on the court after being told “your attitude problem is unbecoming for a ...

There’s no crying in intramural basketball, but there is gender discrimination

When I was a kid, the first person who told me I can play basketball just as good as the boys was my dad. He, along with my mother and my brother, told me never to apologize for being the fastest girl on the basketball court or on the track. For the most part, I grew up with positive gender consciousness, and participating in sports, along with family support, made that possible.

At thirty-years-old, I continue to pride myself in the gender work that I do in academia and in the community. I teach two introductory women’s studies courses; one as an assistant instructor at Barnard, and the other at an urban after-school community center. I have a master’s degree in ...

When I was a kid, the first person who told me I can play basketball just as good as the boys was my dad. He, along with my mother and my brother, told me never to apologize ...