We were there too, the other geeks and weird kids whose…
““We were there too, the other geeks and weird kids whose lives were hellish at school, who escaped into books and computers, who stayed up all night scanning obscure forums, looking for transcendence, dreaming of elsewhere. We were there too, but you didn’t see us, because we were girls. And the costs of being the geek were the same for us, right down to the sexual frustration, the yearning, the being laughed at, the loneliness. […] We had to fight the same battles you did, only harder, because we were women and we also had to fight sexism, some of it from you, and when we went looking for other weird kids to join our gang, we were told we weren’t ‘real geeks’ because we were girls.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Women in tech face double marginalization: both the outsider status of geek culture and gender-based sexism, intensifying isolation and frustration.
In simple terms: Girls in geek culture endure extra sexism and exclusion.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge gender bias in tech communities.
Themes
gender
tech
exclusion
identity
sexism
Mood
frustrated
determined
hopeful
Type
personal
social
cultural
When to use this quote
- online forums
- school clubs
- coding bootcamps
- gaming groups
Key Concepts
intersectionality
social dynamics
digital culture
Questions to Reflect On
- How can tech spaces become truly inclusive?
- What actions can allies take to support women geeks?
A Different Perspective
Progress requires systemic change, not just individual resilience.