Changing the Narrative
Updated: 9 hours ago
As a Chatelain, have you ever been asked "Are women allowed to fight in armor?" or had a male newcomer be surprised to learn that there are plenty of other men who willingly dance/sew/etc? Are your A&S nights or fighter practices rather lopsided in terms of gender? How about archery, rapier, or equestrian? Is there more of a balance or do you see disparity there as well?
This discussion starts with identifying our own implicit biases. When you think of each of the following groups, how would you describe an average member of the following communities to someone who is brand new?
Heavy Fighters
Rapier Fighters
Archers
There is likely gender bias in the words you choose to describe someone. Possibly age bias as well. If you were switch these up with Knight, MoD, and Mark would your responses be any different? Now think about the representatives in your local group and how they reflect these descriptions.
The Perception of Inaccessibility
We have many reasons for choosing the words we do. Unconscious bias from what we see on a regular basis. What we have been told by others, even if we have not seen it ourselves. Personal experiences. The media and how it portrays certain roles (masculine, feminine, young, old, body types, etc).
If you have ever seen a female face light up when a helm comes off a female fighter, you know what that means. Representation matters. All too often, if we do not see ourselves in a population, we do not feel that we belong there. We see this everywhere in society which is why news of the first black female governor of Georgia or the first Native female governor of New Mexico, or Texas turning blue all made historic headlines this week. The first female knight made in Atlantia was in 2021, only one has been made since. The first Kraken (GoA Armored Combat) given to a female fighter was in 2018. The first Silver Osprey (AoA Armored) was in 2016.
Compare this to the Order of Defense and Order of the Mark. The Mark has 6 female members in less than 18 months of existence, the first being one of the premieres. There are 20 members total as of this writing. There are 227 Knights and 52 MoDs. The first female MoD was created 15 months after the order premiered in 2015. There have been 9 made since. There are over 400 each of Laurels and Pelicans with a relatively balanced representation.
Despite these numbers, it takes on average longer to earn a Laurel or Pelican than it does to earn a fighting award (measured from first AoA of that type given to time of peerage). Of course, this is also a bit of a red herrings since there half as many fighting awards presented than there are arts or service awards.
Changing our Language
The first step in breaking this barrier is changing our language. Refer to fighters instead of typically gendered terms. Rapier or Armored is a proper distinction. When someone is suprised to see a gender minority fighter, normalize it. While they are a minority, there is the possibility of growth. Many cultures have and have had female warriors, we are one of them. Encourage participation. If someone finds participating in any of the martial forms is not for them, that is perfectly fine, we have plenty to offer.
Along with the language we use, it is also how we present ourselves to newcomers around fighters. We do not want to introduce them only to peers, Royal or otherwise. Random unbelts, new fighters, and fighters in their demographic are excellent resources for finding out what it's like to be a new fighter, getting armor, training, and participating in your first tournament.
Engaging the Full Community
Lest we forget about the archers and equestrians, doomed to the outskirts of event sites due to safety and space requirements. The center of a majority of events is the fighting field. It is where our attention is drawn. Our pavilions are setup around it. Ask event stewards to provide signs or maps for activities that are not focused on the central field. Are arts contests setup in a building on site? Is it well marked? Do people know how to get to the archery range or that one is even available? Equestrians are even more difficult to include with the changes to their insurance.
Now the harder part. Get the people to visit each others spaces! If there is no archery at events, archers should show up and provide service or contribute to arts. Once fighting is done, fighters should explore the archery or thrown ranges and take in the arts on display. One of the things I was known for during my time as Deputy Earl Marshal for Target Archery in Caid was for getting the archery community more fully engaged with elements of the SCA off the range. Encouragement to participate in multiple aspects has to come from everyone.
One of the most difficult parts of joining a new group is finding your place. If you don't feel like you belong you may not come back. If you feel your pathways are limited, you may not come back. If you see diverse participants across all aspects of the SCA and feel welcomed in any of them, you will come back and flourish.
When I first moved to Atlantia, I took my now husband to his first SCA gathering. Both of us found it difficult to place there. They were chatting amongst themselves and didn't invite us to join in the conversations. When he went to fighter practice he was given a sword and told to hit a tree without much additional instruction. When he asked about armor and getting on the field, he was told to look online and no help was offered to guide him to appropriate places. It took him 5 years and moving to a different barony before he got the help and support he needed to get on the field. This is not how it should be.
Many of us have stories similar to this when starting out. People weren't helpful, they were cliquish, they never showed up when they said they would. We as a society should be better than this. We should encourage people to show up. Business meetings are a prime example. They are a great opportunity to meet local people and find out what's going on and chat with them informally. While they can be boring, they are one of our best opportunities to show that we are at our core an educational non-profit.
Creating Well Rounded Participants
All of this leads to building a well rounded member. A fully engaged member who shines in more than one area is more likely to show up and contribute to your local group or Kingdom. Encourage participation across multiple areas. Arts nights, fighter practices, local meetings, social gatherings, involvement in all areas makes people appreciate all that the SCA has to offer. Of course, time and other life obligations taken into consideration. Staving off burn out is a whole different topic.
From an officer standpoint, we can encourage different ways to get people involved. This is true for both existing members and new members. We should not be surprised when an existing member shows up at a business meeting, that should be a regular occurrence! Want more people at fighter practice? Include a social gathering or potluck or hold an informal quarterly tournament for bragging rights.
The following are few other ideas I have seen before:
Have Royals challenge their guard/attendants/fighters/whatever to try something new. This may be going to the archery range, putting on a different form of armor, entering an arts competition, or taking a Marshal class.
Run a tournament that is single elimination but fighters get an extra life if they also enter an art either for display or competition.
Have equestrians or archers doing specific things like sponsoring a list field, field heralding, running feast, or sponsoring a challenge at events where they cannot practice their form.
Encourage artists to interact with fighters. In Caid there is a tradition of fighter poems following each Crown tournament. Authors put their names in ahead of time and are assigned a fighter to watch. They then write a poem about the fighters prowess on the field, whether they won the day or were among the first eliminated. This gives the fighters something to cherish and gets the poets invested in the fighting.
Encourage fighters to teach classes. Whether these are classes on fighting, armor making, or something else. Involvement with University is a great way not only get people involved, but to meet people who have other focuses.
Recognition or Write Recommendations
All of this culminates in getting people recognized for what they do. Fighters should be writing letters for other fighters. Even if it is a simple "This person gave me a good fight today, they show that they have been practicing and are eager to learn and improve." It is so important that we recognize each other. I believe there are many out there who have put in the work but not received the recognition.
Peers should be setting goals for their students. This may be in the types of drills or number of practices attended, fights at an event, or related to becoming a well rounded member. Part of being a well rounded member is recognizing others. At this point, I challenge you to write a letter. It can be for anyone and for anything. If you have never written a letter of recommendation before, I encourage you to write more than one.
Atlantia has a great system. It's easy and uses the same login you use for reporting, University of Atlantia, and authorizations. It lets you look people up by SCA name or modern names, which is especially useful if you can't spell their SCA name. If you know someone will be at an upcoming event, you can mark their attendance if they haven't already. In fact, if you haven't updated your attendance, you should do that while you're there. This helps the Crown know when they will see people they want to give awards to.
Be the Chatelain you wish you had when you started.
That is something that should always be in your head, whether you are warranted in an office or not. We are all Chatelaines. We need to foster new people, develop skills, encourage and provide advice. If we can't provide the information they're asking for, we should have an idea of who/where to send them. We cannot let ourselves be jaded.
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