Where can you find a bisexual female leader of the free world whose campaign motto was “reach out and touch everyone?”
You could find her at the First Annual North American Women’s Debating Open, hosted by Concordia last weekend.
The event brought together 22 teams of female debaters from across North America, including Ontario, Arkansas, Vermont and California. It was an opportunity for women to debate against each other “in an environment where they feel comfortable,” said Penelope Ortega, president of Concordia’s Debating Society and organizer of the event.
The topics debated ranged from feminism and religion to property rights.
During the public speaking competition, the contestants had to give a speech as the first female leaders of the free world, faced by either a scandal or a crisis. The first speaker impersonated a bisexual leader who was caught using the “n. word.”
The idea behind hosting a women’s debating competition stems from a report on gender and debating written by the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate (CUSID).
The document states that some women feel that “CUSID social environments are often overly, ‘testosterony.'” It also mentions issues of sexual harassment and a case where a female debater said she “never felt as objectified as in CUSID social environments.”
The report suggests appointing two ombudspeople to deal with concerns of gender bias, standardizing a set of judging criteria and drafting a set of inclusive principles.
Ortega and Michele Bury, the tournament’s co-ordinators, wanted to take it a step further.
“White papers, comments are nice; but women have to actually do something about it,” said Ortega.
At first, the idea of hosting a tournament exclusively for women was controversial. Some people argued it might be counterproductive. “Attitudes completely changed during this tournament,” said Ortega.
Jessica Prince, a McGill student who won first place speaker, found the debating rounds to be “less aggressive” than when the teams are mixed. She said it was a “nicer, friendlier atmosphere” that may encourage more women to join because “debating, normally, is so dominated by men.”
Joanna Langille, whose University of Toronto Hart House team won the tournament, thought the level of debating “was not as good” as mixed competitions.
Though men were not allowed to debate, they were welcome to sit in as judges. The Women’s Open was able to get up to five judges for certain rounds, many of them males. Usually, debates have one to three judges per round.
“It was key to have men invited to judge,” said Ortega. “The problem that exists within CUSID is something that we all share.
“There’s a significant problem with retaining women within debating,” she said. Women are often turned off by their first tournament and drop debating as a result. Ortega and Bury wanted to see if a women’s tournament would result in a greater number of female debaters.
At the elementary school level, women dominate the debating scene. In high school, the gender ratio is split. Once in university, women tend to shy away from debating and men take over.
“I think this is translated into political participation when they graduate. Women are grossly under-represented in Congress,” said Ortega.
City of Montreal councillor Dida Berku attended the tournament’s finals. She encouraged women to become more active in politics. “The challenges that women face in politics–be it local, municipal, or global–are pretty much the same.” The leader of the majority also said that “the difference between men and women is not really felt” in parliament.
The Concordia Debating Society is planning to host a Women’s Debating Open again next year. The participation is likely to increase as many teams had expressed interest in the idea but were contacted too late. “I’m anticipating 40 teams next year,” said Ortega.
The Debating Society meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. All students are welcome to join.
For room information check: www.concordiadebating.com.
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