On May 21st, 2011, Tammy Camp, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, advisor, and investor, published a blog entry entitled "How I deal with Sexual Discrimination in a Positive Way." In this blog entry, Camp says:
- This past week I was banned from one of my favorite conferences because I wouldn’t have sex with one of the organizers. Given that this is the third time a similar situation has happened in a year’s time, I’m learning how to swallow this pill of injustice without throwing up every time.
In her blog, she explains a common reason why incidents like this go unreported:
- I’m bewildered and astounded why this is still happening in 2011. The heartbreak is even more horrific when all the people who know about this injustice won’t speak up for me. I understand why they don’t. They don’t want to be involved because they don’t want the risk of losing funding for their deals or be an outcast in the Silicon Valley boys club. I get it. I really do.
Camp explains her decision not to name names as a commitment to:
- Never speak ill of the wrong or negative person. It takes you down to their level.
In the comments, Camp reports in response to a suggestion that change will come if people name names:
- You could be right. I’ve received an alarming amount of emails from women in Silicon Valley who are experiencing the same thing. Wonder if stepping forward together might work?
For a recent example of what happens when a victim of harassment does name names, see Noirin Shirley ApacheCon incident.
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