re women and meetings

[NEWEB2 at VAX2.CONCORDIA.CA]

When I started going to meetings in molecular biology, biochemistry etc,
most men introduced their talk with some joke or anotherthat was a 
putdown of women. I often protested, made myself disliked - and
certainly felt uncomfortable- but things have changed a lot, at least
in nonmedical fields. 
I strongly urge everyone- male and female- to protest when such jokes
are made. Consciousness raising never ends.
Not only is there less of this these days, but at a Gordon conference
last year we  had a young and beautiful woman with a slide which said
"you could turn me on ....if only you knew how"  This was supposed to  
refer to a regulator of an operon. I dont like this any better when
women do it.
EBNewman Concordia University Montreal