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H M S In the news Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE Newsletters An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Log in Subscribe Home It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Tech People are criticizing a major women-in-tech event, saying its jobs fair was dominated by pushy men Lindsay Dodgson 2023-10-02T11:18:47Z A bookmark The letter F. An envelope. It indicates the ability to send an email. An curved arrow pointing right. A stylized bird with an open mouth, tweeting. Twitter The word "in". LinkedIn A stylized letter F. Flipboard The letter F. Facebook An envelope. It indicates the ability to send an email. Email An image of a chain link. It symobilizes a website link url. Copy Link Read in app Woman in a crowd d3sign/Getty Images [top-left] [bottom-rig] Redeem now * People are criticizing a women's tech conference after it was flooded by men. * Women reported being shoved out the way by men submitting resumes to employers at the Grace Hopper conference. * The event bills itself as a celebration of woman and non-binary people in computer science Insider Today [insider-to] NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today's biggest stories in markets, tech, and business -- delivered daily. Read preview Bull [newsletter] Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address [ ] Sign up By clicking "Sign Up", you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can opt-out at any time. Bull [newsletter] Advertisement Advertisement A tech conference celebrating women and non-binary people in computer science sparked a backlash after people said it was dominated by men. The complaints were about the The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing which took place in Orlando from September 26 to 29. On TikTok, attendees said men shoved women out of the way and cut lines to submit resumes to the big tech companies that attended the job fair. The conference organizer, AnitaB, acknolwedged that the event fell short and said it was investigating the complaints. Advertisement Advertisement One video, posted by a coder named Gabby, showed groups of dozens of men talking with recruiters and lining up for booths. In the caption, Gabby said she had waited in line to speak with a recruiter when a man skipped to the front and "cut off" her conversation. A product designer named Lily Li shared Gabby's video and added some thoughts of her own in a TikTok which amassed over 1.5 million views. She said the conference was set up to tackle the lack of female representation in technology "despite women being the first coders." Advertisement Advertisement @designalily Sharing the receipts of what happened at Grace Hopper conference this year. #womenintech #womanintech #gracehopper #womeninstem # techconference original sound - Lily | Product designer The event markets itself on its website as the "world's largest gathering of women and non-binary technologists," and tickets set back attendees around $1,300. It's named after Grace Hopper, a pioneering mathematician whose work helped the US Navy develop its computing in World War II. "Prepare to be immersed in a vibrant atmosphere of growth at GHC 23, the world's largest gathering of women and non-binary technologists," the conference site said. "Connect with like-minded individuals, gain insights from luminaries and esteemed technology leaders, forge lasting connections, and supercharge your skillset." Advertisement Advertisement The reality was a much different picture, according to women who attended and later complained about the conference online. Li shared a LinkedIn comment left by an attendee towards AnitaB, the company that runs the conference. She said she suspected that cisgender men may have "finessed" the system by pretending to be non-binary, or selecting "prefer not to answer" on their entry forms, though there is no solid evidence for the claim. "On top of that these men are acting like zoo animals, sprinting to the booths, and physically hurting the attendees," she alleged. Advertisement Advertisement @cosmicnaut Wow these allies are sure great and are not obviously there for the career fair. #gracehopperconference #gracehoppercelebration # ghc23 #ILovewomen #wayfair the cat from ipanema - j1gggs Insider found many more public comments on LinkedIn left by female and non-binary attendees where they expressed their disappointment over the experience, describing a place "over-capacitated by rude, disrespectful, and female-attacking men." Many said they saw no men attending the panels hosted by women and non-binary people discussing under-representation and inclusivity in tech. They just appeared at the job fair, making it difficult for women and non-binary people to even get in, the comments said. "Instead of feeling inspired and energized, I feel drained and overwhelmed," one woman named Nandini Agarwal wrote, saying she waited in line for hours to get in. "I've missed half the day! I want a full refund, worst experience ever!!!" Advertisement Advertisement Others said they saw disproportionate amounts of men being offered interviews and being let in to after-parties. Some said they had been bothered and harassed and even hit on. One woman said a man handed her his resume when she wasn't even working there. Another said she saw worrying behavior, including a man taking a photo of "the female recruiter's lower body." "Chaos was the word of the day," wrote a woman named Preeti Ladwa. "Many men, attending as non-allies, overstepped boundaries. We witnessed inappropriate comments, breaches of personal space, and a sheer lack of decorum." Another woman named Nivrithi Garimella said left one line "due to unchecked men displaying aggressive behavior, ganging up to trample women completely." "I feared for my health and safety and fled the scene first thing in the morning," she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement The LinkedIn page for AnitaB replied to many comments, saying itwas looking into the reports. Bo Young Lee, AnitaB's advisory president, posted a video on LinkedIn on Friday in response to the criticism. She said the event had always felt like "a safe and loving and embracing" place in the past. "This year, I must admit, I didn't feel this way," she said. "And I know that many of you felt the same. Many of you are feeling unsafe, physically, and psychologically, and you're feeling unheard." She said that she and AnitaB were taking the feedback "so personally." Advertisement Advertisement "We tried to create a safe space, and this week we saw the outside world creep in," she said. "This makes me angry, and it makes me sad, but mostly it makes me want to fight." She said the company did its best but "it was not enough." "I want to thank you all for speaking up, for listening, and I really hope to see you tomorrow," she said. Insider has reached out to AnitaB for further comment. A picture of a switch and lightbulb [light-swit] Sign up for notifications from Insider! 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