Fury as women in tech conference is overrun with men claiming to be ‘nonbinary’ – who cut in front of female attendees to network with employers

Female job seekers at a women in tech conference have reacted furiously after a number of men crashed the networking event, apparently taking advantage of the acceptance of ‘non-binary’ people.

The scandal broke during the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Orlando, Florida, one of the most lucrative job fairs for young female professionals to meet major technology companies, often fresh out of college.

But this year’s summit, held from September 26 to 29, was swamped with men also looking for a big interview with companies like Amazon, Apple and Google.

The reason why many were welcomed appeared to be the women’s event where non-binary individuals could also attend. This sparked anger among women who felt the move was a blatant attempt to take advantage of gender diversity programs.

Furious attendees took to social media to slam the men for bagging the women’s event, but some pointed the finger at vague criteria for entry into the summit because men could simply identify as ‘non-binary’.

This was acknowledged by Cullen White, the Chief Impact Officer of AnitaB.org, which organizes the conference, when he took to the stage at the end of the event to address the audience, saying: ‘Simply put, some of you lied about your gender identity when you registered.’

Mamantha J, a participant who condemned the event LinkedInsaid she was “really looking forward” to the forum before realizing it wasn’t what she expected.

“As a woman who has experienced patriarchal dominance in the tech industry, I hoped the convention would provide me with a fair opportunity to connect with potential employers,” she said.

In addition to complaints about long lines and exhausted recruiters, she said she had witnessed “a significant number of cis-men allies taking opportunities intended for women and non-binary, a worrying trend that event organizers failed to acknowledge.” was addressed.’

“It makes me sad to see all these cis men attending #GHC23 and misrepresenting their gender,” added Anchal Katyalm, a software development manager at Amazon, who also lashed out at the gatecrashers on Linkedin.

‘We need male allies. We need men who want to celebrate women, who want to work with and for women,” she added.

“To all the women and non-binary people out there, stand strong and believe in yourself.”

Another frustrated female job seeker said on TikTok that she was standing in line to network with a recruiter when several men stood in line in front of her.

Another attendee, Lauren Shaefer, said she had been a big fan of the conference since she interned there in 2007, until this year, when her love for the event was dashed.

“I traveled to the celebration again to give a talk, but I did not leave feeling fresh and energetic,” she wrote.

“The opening and closing conversations from the main stage were excellent, but everything in between felt daunting.”

She added that she even spoke to a security guard who “said they were kicking out guys who were pushing and shoving,” adding, “The career fair was overrun with guys.”

“AnitaB.org addressed the situation, but the career fair was still overcrowded and people had to wait an hour to enter the fair Friday morning. The situation felt dirty.”

No footage has emerged of men pushing and shoving or being thrown out, but many people on social media have also claimed to have seen male attendees aggressively harassing others at the summit.

After the conference was mired in controversy, White spoke to the audience to address the oversight in allowing the men to attend while denouncing the number of “cis men” who chose to participate .

“This should be a joyful event with you at the center,” he began. “Yesterday it became clear that there are many more cisgender men present.”

“Simply put, some of you lied about your gender identity when you registered, as evidenced by the stacks of resumes you hand out.

“You did that because you thought you could come here and take space and get a job.”

“We need male allies, we need men who want to celebrate women, work with and for women.

“Unfortunately, some of you have taken discounted academic tickets from women who need them, some of you are now taking job interviews… from women who need them.

“Some of you are lining up to talk to recruiters instead of allowing women to speak. These are all limited resources to which you are not entitled.

“So let me be very clear: stop right now. Stop.’

AnitaB.org also acknowledged the comment in a separate social media postand said this year’s conference “saw an increase in participation among self-identifying men.”

“We are committed to making structural changes to ensure GHC remains an uplifting experience and opportunities for women and non-binary technologists.

“With regard to calls for AnitaB.org to ban men from attending GHC, federal nondiscrimination requirements prohibit any U.S.-based organization from discriminating on the basis of gender.

“Not only do we have to comply with federal law, we also believe in the power of providing an inclusive space. Male attendees, along with every participant, sponsor, patron, partner and staff member, are expected to uphold and embody their commitment to the mission.”