Gender has no place in critique

Re: “Horgan should stand up to Notley,” letter, March 10. One letter-writer is calling for our premier to “man up.” What does it mean when someone calls on a male person to “man up”?

Is Premier John Horgan’s manhood being called into question because the writer thinks Horgan should be more aggressive? Is our premier less of a man because he won’t try to intimidate a woman who disagrees with him?

If Carole James were our premier, would she be told to “woman up”? If Alberta had a male premier, would Horgan still be told to “man up”? I wonder if the intent here is to “shame” the premier and egg him on to do what the writer wants — which isn’t clear at all.

The writer goes on to sneer at the premier for not putting on his “bigboy pants.” What does that mean? We can voice our opinions, whatever they are, about our premier or any other politician without challenging masculinity or femininity.

What has gender got to do with this? Barbara Bambiger View Royal