Inclusion, Representation & The Binance Influencer Awards

As some of you may know I was recently nominated in the Binance influencer awards, the first 15 nominees were announced on July 4th, of the 15 announced, 14 were men. I was vocal about feeling a disparity in gender representation and need for inclusivity... The first question that was brought up was my merit to have been nominated in the first place.

I addressed this by showing my accomplishments over the course of the last year, and pointing to the fact that I've been called undeserving and unworthy of each one.

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I don't know if you guys were on Twitter when I was featured on MTV as a "crypto expert" but it was a dicey one.

Here's an article on the response to MTV
Crypto to Get Massive Mainstream Exposure, Industry Surprisingly Salty
https://www.newsbtc.com/2020/02/20/crypto-to-get-massive-mainstream-exposure-industry-surprisingly-salty/

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On July 5th the final 10 nominees were rolled out. Of the 25 nominees I was the only woman. Upon finding this out, I began to vocalize the need for inclusion & representation of women in the crypto industry. That is where the tale begins....

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My call for inclusion in bringing up the clear gender disparity received a heavy amount of push back. To clear this conversation up, my follow through point has always been, if we are looking at influencers on a global scale, and selecting 25 - how is it that I was the only woman of merit enough to be mentioned on the ballot? I believe this points to a larger issue in our community, and a need for representation.

If you know me, you know I am vocal about social issues and advocating for what's right, unpopular or not.

Many people do not like this.

I woke up the next morning to find that my instagram account, as well as that of @coruscate had been removed entirely from the platform. Flagged for impersonating ourselves.

I quickly took to Twitter to yell about the injustice. Yes. Yes, I did.

Catch my livestream about the issue here:

https://twitter.com/CryptoFinally/status/1280184310348288001?s=20
- CryptoFinally

This was quickly picked up both by the Binance Team (CZ himself) and Cointelegraph.

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Original Tweet from CZ Binance:

https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1280265944015622144?s=20
- cz_binance

Hive Post About CoinTelegraph:
@cryptofinally/instagram-removes-cryptofinally-and-girlgonecrypto-x-cointelegraph
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Change happens when leaders stand tall.

Change happens when we make the hard decisions and fight for what is right.

I could not be more humbled by Binance & Cointelegraph using their platforms to advocate for inclusion and unity in the blockchain space.

Positive change is on its way, we must fight for it.

Here is a follow up article by Cointelegraph bringing the full story together, and going into further detail about the experience I have had online in the blockchain space.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/uncovering-the-reason-behind-female-crypto-influencers-instagram-bans
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