Gender Week does not exclude men from events

In response to your Friday, Sept. 25 editorial, we'd have to say that (straight) men have gender, too. That's why the UB Institute for Research and Education on Women - informally the UB Gender Institute - and "Gender Week" has always been emphatically for men as well as for women. (The UB Department of Women's Studies, with whom we are closely affiliated, studies women, while the Gender Institute encourages awareness of gender issues campus-wide.)

The Gender Institute has always had men, both gay and straight, on its Executive and Steering Committees, and "Gender Week" has always included events put on by and for men - such as this year's Student Wellness Team presentation on "Hooking Up, Having Sex, Making Love: Multicultural Perspectives on College Students' Sexuality," or African-American Studies Professor Jim Pappas's presentation of Connie Robinson's "The Message," or former interim Provost Distinguished Professor Robert Genco's presentation on periodontal disease, or the men performing in the fourth annual poetry festival that concludes the week - since its beginning. And we'd like to have more: all you have to do is read about us and contact us through our Web site, www.womenandgender.buffalo.edu, where among other announcements you will see the call for "Gender Week" programming posted each spring.

Most importantly, why shouldn't a speaker like this year's keynoter Native American environmental activist and former Green Party Vice-Presidential candidate Winona LaDuke interest both women and men, both gays and straights? (We certainly saw many men in that audience.) Why shouldn't programming about biological and medical differences between men and women; hiring, promotion, mentoring, childcare and pay equity issues; sexuality and space; globalization and gender; modernist poet H.D., etc., etc. interest both women and men? (Again, these audiences were peppered with men.) Every time we mention "gender" we mean BOTH women and men, and if you care about women and care about gays you'll evince some interest in them.

Finally, if the spotlight on women in our programming bothers you, ask which gender the spotlight is on for most of the year.

We do want to thank The Spectrum and the other campus media for their spirited and interested coverage of "Gender Week" and the many other activities of the UB Gender Institute, and to ask all of the campus to come out to our events.