SHAFFER: My byline is bisexual
My name is Randi with an 'i,' and I am not a guy.
The first time I was mistaken for a boy was in elementary school. My mom and I went to a local ice rink so I could sign up for a figure skating class. She turned in the application without a second thought.
When my first lesson arrived, I was surprised to find that I had been placed in an all-male hockey-skating class.
When my mom asked about the mix-up, the ice rink staff apologized and explained how they thought my mom had checked the wrong box under the "gender" portion of the sign-up sheet. They looked at my name and immediately assumed I was a boy.
At first I resented my parents for my name. It took me until high school to understand my mom's rationale for giving me a gender-ambiguous name.
She explained to me that when she was growing up, men had a higher rate of job placement than women did.
By naming me "Randi," she said, my résumé might get a second look by a professional looking to hire a man for a specific job, because my name could be taken as a male one.
For me, the concept sounds alien. I've never felt discriminated against based on my gender when it comes to applying for jobs or internships.
In fact, I can think of two specific instances where my gender actually helped me to get a job.
However, my mother was around in 1972, when Congress made an effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, which stated that "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied ... on account of sex."
The amendment struggled through Congress during the early `80s before being voted down by the House of Representatives on Nov. 15, 1983.
For my mother, the thought of workplace discrimination based on gender wasn't irrational.
I'm accustomed to having the name "Randi." Because I've grown up with it, it isn't a male name to me. In fact, the friends I grew up with often admit they find it weird now when they meet a guy with the name "Randy."
I still get irritated by people who confuse my gender. People who meet me after reading my byline in Central Michigan Life have admitted that they've assumed I was a man.
I receive e-mails and mailed letters addressed to "Mr. Shaffer" more frequently than I would like to admit.
As a girl with a gender-ambiguous name, I'd advise to always check the gender of your intended message recipient before sending an e-mail or a letter.
You never know if your future boss Alex is a man or a woman.
