Karen Mangiacotti never wanted to be known as the “penis mom.” It all started back in November when her 13-year old son’s teacher sent an email to parents about a physics project the school was organizing.

The project, which involved kids launching pumpkins with a trebuchet, sounded very cool. But the email asked if there were any “strong dads” who’d be willing to help. Presumably, there’d be some heavy lifting involved, and the school thought men might be better suited for the task.

That’s what set Mangiacotti off. After giving it some thought, she fired back an email to the principal, teachers and parents that said, “Are you guys seriously only asking for Dads? Is lifting done with a penis?” Many of the recipients of that missive were horrified, and thus began the firestorm of controversy.

The principal responded with her own note, reminding Mangiacotti that school emails must be “all Disney all the time” and ended with “For the record I’m not a fan of lifting things though, and I don’t really like the mud.” Amusing response, perhaps. But Mangiacotti thought it further enforced the gender-biased point of view that prompted her rant. She resented the implication that all homes have dads and the message it sent to daughters that because of their gender, they were unwelcome to participate in physical tasks.

WEIGH IN:

Ok, so, did Mangiacotti overreact? Or was she right to rock the gender discrimination boat? Have we or haven’t we come a long way baby? Are schools doing enough to promote gender equality?

Guest:

Karen Mangiacotti, Writer, Comedian, Mom