Though it birthed some of the world’s most influential tech startups, Silicon Valley isn’t really known for its diversity. In fact, this sector is so dominated by white males, that a few companies, such as Apple, have been attempting to increase its representation of minorities and women.
But not everyone in Silicon Valley is so sensitive to this issue.
In a recent story published by Fusion, female tech journalists Daniela Hernandez and Kristen V. Brown described an instance in which they saw a man rock a wildly distasteful T-shirt to a professional event. But it wasn’t the casual nature of the garment that was so offensive; it was the wording splashed across the chest: “I’m not a gynecologist, but I’ll take a look.”
We'll give you a moment to absorb all the douchiness.
While attending an event for a startup called SpaceVR, the women approached the man to ask about his attire. But rather than demonstrate any shame, the guy simply replied, “Isn’t this awesome? No one here would expect that I’m, like, someone important.”
Though the guy refused to give his name, he did say he was an investor of SpaceVR. After doing some digging on LinkedIn, Hernandez and Brown found the man and attempted to reach out once again. Needless to say, he didn’t respond; however the women were able to contact Kelley Holmes, SpaceVR’s director of business development, who insisted the man was not an investor like he claimed to be.
“Our investors do not wear shirts like that out in public, nor do we condone that behavior in any way shape or form,” Holmes told Fusion. “There are people going to these parties and posing as people that they are not. I think that’s what happened.”
This story is sad on so many levels. And to make it even more soul-crushing, the women discovered the exact same tee being sold on Amazon for $10—perfect for sexist assholes on a budget.
