Response to 'Women Medical Physicists'

The Denial

LinkedIn Groups

Group: Women Medical Physicists Subject: Your request to join Women Medical Physicists Thank you for your interest in the Women Medical Physicists LinkedIn Group. At this time our policy is that only women medical physics students and practicing clinical or research medical physicists who are women will be granted membership. The intent behind this policy is to establish a "community" of women medical physicists who can work toward improving the professional lives of women working in this field.  We appreciate your understanding and if we have incorrectly assessed that you do not fall within the group cited above, please do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards, Nicole Ranger Azam Niroomand-Rand azam@georgetown.edu Moderators Women Medical Physicists Group @ LinkedIn.com

My Response

Dr. Niroomand-Rad,

"if we have incorrectly assessed that you do not fall within the group cited above..."

Since I'm a medical physics student, I think you mean to say, "if I'm not a woman."

Discriminating by gender does your group a great disservice.  Not only insofar as your group's response to sexism is sexism itself, but because having a good ally does not necessarily mean having an ally of the same gender.  Seems to me that your purported goal to create a community "who can work toward improving the professional lives of women working in [medical physics]" will only be hampered by your unwillingness to include all of your allies.  Particularly a group so prevalent in medical physics today: men.

Please take this into humble consideration with regards to your policy,

Mark