A Little Story About Love - 10: The Only Woman
I was the only woman in the room. It wasn’t a physical space. I was the only woman in the Zoom. Twelve faces that didn’t look like mine were in their boxes, staring at me. I had to introduce myself, highlight my credentials, justify my presence. I was asked twice for more information. Everyone else had shared one thing, their profession.
I plucked up the courage to speak, gave my opinion on the topic being discussed. There was silence, no nods of encouragement. Perhaps my secular expertise wasn’t welcome. I was different, a fresh pair of eyes, a novelty gender. “We don’t want to over-complicate things,” someone said. It was a polite dismissal. There was a passing remark about this not being a university.
I saw some messages in the chat. One person was speaking directly to me, just to me. They said it was great to see me, to have me as part of the group. They kept typing, mentioned how they didn’t seem to fit in either, their comments were dismissed too. It was a moment of solidarity, reaching out so the only woman in the room wasn’t on her own.
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