The first step in combating discrimination is accepting that it exists.
After a year of interviews and research, one of the most common root causes of discrimination in debate continues to be the widespread refusal of its existence. Coaches, judges, parents, fellow debaters, and institutions ignore the issue and choose to be complacent in the face of injustice. The Stories project seeks to change that narrative by amplifying and empowering marginalized voices to foster awareness and end discrimination.
The first step in combating discrimination is accepting that it exists.
After a year of interviews and research, one of the most common root causes of discrimination in debate continues to be the widespread refusal of its existence. Coaches, judges, parents, fellow debaters, and institutions ignore the issue and choose to be complacent in the face of injustice. The Stories project seeks to change that narrative by amplifying and empowering marginalized voices to foster awareness and end discrimination.
The first step in combating discrimination is accepting that it exists.
After a year of interviews and research, one of the most common root causes of discrimination in debate continues to be the widespread refusal of its existence. Coaches, judges, parents, fellow debaters, and institutions ignore the issue and choose to be complacent in the face of injustice. The Stories project seeks to change that narrative by amplifying and empowering marginalized voices to foster awareness and end discrimination.
Tell your story,
raise awareness,
stop discrimination.
Tell your story,
raise awareness, stop discrimination.
Report your story
Amplifying and
Empowering
Although debate champions its idealistic ability to uplift participants, competitors increasingly find themselves silenced and oppressed. In a culture that consistently prioritizes success over community, conformity over diversity, and tradition over transformation, debaters are often marginalized for speaking up. With Stories, we seek to provide a platform to restore lost voices and invigorate advocacies.
Raising Awareness
From off-hand comments by fellow competitors to round-ending critiques by judges to ignorant stances from coaches, stories convey the deep-rooted prejudice in debate. By highlighting these experiences, this project can draw attention to the imbalances and inequities that exist. Otherwise, problematic behaviors continue to persist, unaddressed biases continue to skew rounds, and an exclusionary culture continues to cast out debaters.
Stopping
Discrimination
By strengthening voices and fostering awareness, the stories project forms a foundation for a cohesive effort against discrimination in debate. This is a platform for a united advocacy that directly addresses the cultural inequities in our space, exposing the full scope of imbalances to foster a relentless effort to uproot injustice.
Amplifying and Empowering
Although debate champions its idealistic ability to uplift participants, competitors increasingly find themselves silenced and oppressed. In a culture that consistently prioritizes success over community, conformity over diversity, and tradition over transformation, debaters are often marginalized for speaking up. With Stories, we seek to provide a platform to restore lost voices and invigorate advocacies.
Raising Awareness
From off-hand comments by fellow competitors to round-ending critiques by judges to ignorant stances from coaches, stories convey the deep-rooted prejudice in debate. By highlighting these experiences, this project can draw attention to the imbalances and inequities that exist. Otherwise, problematic behaviors continue to persist, unaddressed biases continue to skew rounds, and an exclusionary culture continues to cast out debaters.
Stopping Discrimination
By strengthening voices and fostering awareness, the stories project forms a foundation for a cohesive effort against discrimination in debate. This is a platform for a united advocacy that directly addresses the cultural inequities in our space, exposing the full scope of imbalances to foster a relentless effort to uproot injustice.
Let's Get Kritikal
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BIAS TRAINING
BIAS TRAINING
Forms of Discrimination
Forms of Discrimination
Forms of Discrimination
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Queerphobia
Queerphobia and anti-2SLGBTQIA+ discrimination is the hatred and exclusion of two souled, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or otherwise gender non-conforming or non-heterosexual peoples.
Ableism
Debate is often seen as an inclusive space for diverse voices, yet it still harbors overlooked forms of ableism. This article explores how microaggressions, unfair standards, and performative advocacy impact disabled debaters. Through the lens of both a junior and anonymous competitor, we examine what true accessibility in debate looks like, and how the community can do better.
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Ableism
A·ble·ism [ˈābəˌlizəm] noun: discrimination in favor of nondisabled people. Ableism can come in the overt or ‘obvious’ ways, like bullying, exclusion, or hate speech, but more commonly in spaces like high school debate it manifests through subtle microaggressions.
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Beneath debate’s outward championing of equality and policy changes lies a long history of exclusion through systemic racism which has poisoned its very essence.
Racial
DiscriminationRead Now
Classism
Classism is a silent yet persistent barrier that determines access, achievement, and endurance. Although debate is labeled as an open platform, the truth is far more complicated, especially for debaters from under-resourced schools.
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Debate promises equality, but for many women debaters, the playing field was never level. The culture of our modern debate space rewards a definition of credibility and persuasiveness shaped by inherently gendered expectations.
Gender
DiscriminationRead Now
Religious
DiscriminationReligious discrimination is defined as “the unfair treatment of a person because of their religious beliefs.” In the context of debate, this can manifest as unfair treatment from judges, coaches, or other competitors.