It will take a lot to atone for venom directed at Clinton

JOAN VENNOCHI ("Race, gender, and hardball politics," Op-ed, May 15) and Michal Regunberg ("Sexism - stoked by the media," Op-ed, May 14) couldn't have hit closer to the mark.

I am proud to be one of the women Democratic leaders Vennochi cited who met with Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, regarding Michigan and Florida. I have been deeply disappointed at the unprecedented level of venom directed at Senator Hillary Clinton. While much of that is a natural byproduct of a political campaign, one cannot help but conclude that a significant part of that visceral reaction stems from a deep-seated distrust of a woman who dared run for a position always occupied by a man.

Gender bias in our society is not dead; it has just moved underground. But it resurfaced with a vengeance in this campaign, under the guise of opinion polls on "likeability" and "trustworthiness," or not-so-subtle criticisms of Clinton's ambition. The throngs of women who have witnessed this phenomenon, whether they be supporters of Senator Barack Obama or of Clinton, have seen it for what it is. And it will take far more than a nice meeting or a pat on the head to bring them back into the fold.
BETH I.Z. BOLAND, Dover