That is, simply, nonsense.

You may have your own opinion, but I agree with ADMIV!

Approximately half of the nation would likely disagree with you (although, admittedly, it's hardly their only reason for rejection of the person in question).

A reminder that perceptions, not actual actionable offenses, are typically more than enough in politics to render someone irredeemably "toxic" if they are part of "the wrong" political side.
If they are of the "correct" political persuasion, of course, such manifestations of sexism, bigotry, ignorance, etc. are easily overlooked and willfully ignored. (The "lesser of two evils," mind you, is still evil.)

And to bring this back to the thread topic:
Again: The reality doesn't matter. If you are PERCEIVED as sexist/ageist/whatever, that perception will be used against you far more than any positivity you may foster.

Have we wasted enough bandwidth on this nonsense yet ???

Ross Rowland

This is an accurate statement regardless of opinion. Guilty or not, once a person is labeled it’s near impossible to remove.

Early in my railroad career, I literally barricaded my boss in his office after an uttered racial slur. He never did it again...

Heart reacts to the above, Txhighballer.
And for Rick, thanks for your thoughtful feedback. I genuinely appreciate the time you took to offer your views on what I shared. I'm under no illusions that the three *carefully* selected anecdotes I provided are examples of 'sexism'. And yeah, one was transparently textbook sexual harassment (being a certificated HR professional and having worked on federal/state labor law compliance, I'm well aware!). The other two were simply served up as examples of the general unpleasant environment created by the organization's poor leadership which clouded my experience. (The fish stinks from the head down, as they say.) Again, the actual equipment restoration volunteers I worked alongside where outstanding individuals who I maintain contact with to this day, but there's a reason there was an exodus and that group of folks is no longer associated with the organization. But I digress...

I'm on the board of a non-railroad-related historical society, and we've made significant steps to create a more welcoming, inclusive environment for visitors, volunteers, and staff. One of the steps was revisiting board policies, which is standard given the requirements placed on nonprofits by funders. The other was creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which meets monthly to discuss various topics related to making the educational environment open and accessible to all, develop recommended readings for the board as a whole, and perpetuate a cultural shift of the org from seemingly exclusive club/personal playground for certain long-time 'faces' which effectively isolated it from the surrounding community, leading to every-dwindling membership numbers, to one that is open, approachable, sensitive to the changing demographics and norms of society at large, and just a good neighbor. It's been ugly and heated at times, and we've had uncomfortable conversations which are similar to ones in this thread, but pushing past it is imperative for the long-term viability of the preservation movement as a whole, be it historical, folk material culture, rail equipment, or what-have-you. If you don't recognize the shift and make appropriate changes so that your group is on sound footing, with leadership who truly walk the walk and set the tone for everyone else, you're doomed to irrelevancy. If some refuse to change, eh...maybe it's time for them to move along.

Well said Geepster, and thank you. It's time for inclusion, not exclusion.

Reading's always been a hotbed of communist activity in southeastern Pennsylvania, Geepster, so you've got to cater to your customer base, I suppose...

https://www.berkshistory.org/multimedia ... etrospect/

Sorry, I told myself I wasn't going to post in this thread again but I just couldn't resist that one. LOL Are you good with paint colors by any chance?

Seashore Trolley Museum has announced:

Saturday, August 21: All Women Crew Day! Women will be operating trolleys, docents, and dispatching. Presentations by Ann Thompson about Women's Role in Transit History.

Phil Mulligan

Why's alex rumbling on about none of us thinking Ross is being a chucklehead here? He should be banned or at least warned for that genius comment.

What a bunch of dangerous un-American subversives!

I don't see anything un-American about those breed of socialists, Ed, but it is interesting how that particular grass roots movement died out after being co-opted by brainwashed younger people supporting the mainstream uniparty establishment. That Maurer guy actually sounds like he was a lot like President Trump who is actually a conservative Democrat just like President Kennedy was. LOL

With full-blown top-down totalitarian communism, however, only the upper one percent of the hierarchy are allowed to wear the fancy woolen Mao suits. The rest of us only get polyester.

What are you talking about?

Just take the time to read it again, Ed. I edited my last post to help clarify.