Tell HN: Best part of the Big Ol' Python PyControvery is women saying "Dongle".

1 point·citizenkeys··4 comments

Today I've read multiple female bloggers liberally using the word "dongle" and "big dongle". This is the best controversy ever!

Dongle! Dongle! Dongle!

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But on a more serious note... As the woman did not even work at the same company as the guys she complained about, she really had no recourse except to get up and move. That sounds very inconsiderate but it's actually the law. In a legal sense, anybody in a public place, whether it's a bar or a programming convention, has a constitutional right to say what they want.

Every employer is responsible for knowing various workplace regulations, including sexual harassment laws. There are only two types of sexual harassment, both of which require working with the alleged offender, "quid pro quo" and "hostile environment": http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/types-of-sexua...

If the woman had worked for the same company as the allegedly offensive guys, she absolutely would have a claim based on them creating a hostile work environment. However, the woman at PyCon didn't work for the same company as the people she complained about. And therefore she had absolutely no claim. Her only right if she was bothered was to get up and move. The only legal claim that may exist now is a wrongful termination suit by the guys that got fired.

No, she had every right to complain to the conference organisers.

I agree she had an absolute right to complain. My point is simply that she had no legal cause of action against either the guys or their employer. So what did she really have to gain through this controversy? And did those guys really deserve to lose their jobs over some childish comments?

Your post is exactly the sort of ostensibly jokey comment that makes women feel unwelcome.

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