Thread by @DocMCohen

Every yr @CdnWIM holds a #WomenInMedicine conference.

And every yr, women have to listen to male colleagues complain that there's no equivalent conference for men in medicine.

This is a THREAD on allyship.

Someone recently asked to trade her call shift to attend the conference (a very common type of request amongst colleagues in a hospital or clinic) and here is the response that was CC'D TO THE ENTIRE DEPT:

"I’d be happy to switch but I just can’t seem to confirm the dates for the Canadian Men in Medicine conference. I heard they had found an igloo north of Inuvik willing to host it but then with climate change they were thinking they might have to reschedule. I’ll let you know.”

I was recently criticized by a prominent male MD for "building a platform" on divisive, man-hating rhetoric. Because should a male MD ever behave in a misogynistic way, then "10,000" men would jump in immediately to denounce him.

I haven't kept count of the men who denounced the emerg chief with the widely reported and well known pattern of discrimination against women, but I don't think we've hit 10,000 yet.

theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…

It took 16 yrs of openly misogynistic conduct before Duic resigned his chief position in the wake of his #MeTooMedicine scandal, so LOTS of opportunity for the 10,000 men to jump in.

Some men DID take issue with his behaviour, but the overwhelming majority looked the other way.

It's FAR more common to look away when a male colleague behaves badly than rock the boat and point out the truth.

Will the man who chose to publicly humiliate his colleague over her routine call trade request face any consequences? Or even mild criticism?

How many men will truly stick their neck out for their female colleagues?

Likewise how often will those of us with white privilege use it to defend BIPOC colleagues? How many of us with straight and/or cis privilege stand up for LGBTQ+ colleagues?

His email is not only uncollegial and sexist, the use of "igloo" to imply some far away, nowhereland is offensive and gross.

As someone who locumed in Inuvik several yrs ago, allow me to say this on behalf of that lovely, vibrant community: fuck off.

Allyship is not about patting yourself on the back for an absence of bigotry.

You don't get points for NOT being sexist/racist/homophobic/transphobic.

Allyship is using your privileged voice to call out bigotry while supporting and centering the voices of the marginalized.

Let me say this to all the male MDs wondering where their conference is:

It's the golf course, it's in the locker room, it's at the bar. It's all the places women don't "belong" where you've spent decades celebrating each other and passing out mentorships and reference letters.

It's called "medicine". It's owned by straight, white men as it's always been.

The halls of power in health care have been dominated by the same people FOREVER.

Women/BIPOC fill the lower levels and do the majority of the caregiving, but white men make all the decisions.

You're not an ally until you're willing to risk the comfort and safety of the status quo to stick your neck out and say: "that shit isn't right."

You are DEFINITELY not an ally if you're happy to let the victims of bigotry fight the same exhausting battles over and over again.

I'm on holiday right now and in theory supposed to be avoiding my phone.

Let's hear all the male allies stand up on behalf of my colleague who wants to attend the @CdnWIM conference, so I can lie on beach and forget to apply sunscreen instead of calling this shit out.

FIN