Please reach out with any questions you have, I’d love to hear from you! I’m also available for speaking engagements on the topics of: gender; gender and sports; and community and place-making.

Sample talks

When All Cheerleaders Were Boys: Sports and the History of Gender Segregation

Have you ever wondered why most cheerleaders are girls? It didn’t used to be that way. Up until the early 20th century, all cheerleaders were actually boys and cheerleading was seen as an activity just as ‘manly’ as being the starting quarterback. What changed between then and now? What does the story of cheerleading teach us about sports and gender more generally?

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gender But Were Afraid to Ask

Gender is a topic that’s in the news a lot lately, but what exactly is gender and how is it changing? Is gender based in biology or something else? How have ideas about gender changed across time and place? What would a history of gender look like? What are the burning questions you have about gender? Dr. Robyn Ryle, professor of sociology and gender studies with over 20 years’ experience teaching on these topics, answers all your questions.