I happen to be a lucky insider to whom Digby's sex was revealed perhaps a year ago and I don't think I was surprised.

I was aware, however, that there is an illustration of a man on her blog - really the only bit of branding there. Does the fact that some people were surprised that a blog written by someone named "Digby" who has carefully excised any gender information from his or her prodigious written output - and arguably represents themselves on their website with an illustration of a man - reveal the latent sexism inherent in the liberal reading public?

I'm not denying that the sexism isn't there - and I am always pleased to see more womens' voices in whatever forum - your excellent blog here, included, Joan - but I don't think that "OMG DIGBY IS A LADY!" makes it so.

Please tell me why it matters if a blogger is a woman? How exactly does it work that genitalia has something to do with the brain? Oh no dumb remark. I understand that genitalia and brains are instrincly linked in the male species so they automatically it works the same way for women?

To the extent I even thought about, I suppose I assumed she was a he. In fact, though logically I knew she wasn't Peter Finch, in my mind -- even now, after watching the video of her! -- I still picture Peter Finch when I see the name Digby.

More than her gender, the thing I've always thought about her is that she is the best out there. Digby should be required reading for everyone.

Samior, my point wasn't that the surprise at Digby's being a woman reveals sexism in her readership -- I wasn't calling Evan a sexist, just quoting his (I think he's a him!) own self-reflection. I'm just glad to have another prominent woman in the blogosphere. The range of comments on FDL are moving and enlightening. Thanks for writing.

We donated a small amount to the blog a year or so ago, and when we got a thank you note, I thought to myself, "Wow! What an exceptionally nice man!" When I read people's praise of her elsewhere (including Glenn Greenwald's), I thought, "AWWWW." Not exactly the reaction I would expect to have if Digby had "come out" as male; that would have been more of a mental power fist, I expect. It matters to me very much that Digby is a woman - both at an unconscious level, apparently, and at a conscious level. Most of us, despite our high-minded desires and ideals, still have different basic attitudes toward and expectations of men and women, and this was a little lesson for me in that fact. Also, I agree that having a strong voice - a voice many assumed was a man's because it is so aggressively analytical and so smart - that turns out to be a woman's voice is totally cool. I don't care about the intellectual arguments and politics on that score. It just makes me happy. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Why the hell couldn't the white house keep Valerie Plame's ID a secret!?

The feminist bloggers are women that are taking leadership positions in society and that push the limits for women but don't engage in 24x7 navel gazing and blaming of the other members of society.

That's Digby, Jame Hamscher, Jeralyn Merritt, Empty Wheel, Wendy Kaminer, Cathy Young, Blue Gal Red State, Joan Walsh (on occasion), and others.

The Feminist(TM) bloggers, including Broadsheet, don't actually accomplish much of anything, except pick nits, make everyone upset because either you're oppressed and doomed by the oppressive men, or you are a man.

There is so much actual hatred spread at the feminist blogs blogrolled at Broadsheet that it is an embarrassment and self-defeating detriment to the liberal cause.

What is surprising about Digby is not that she's a woman but that she was assumed to be a man precisely because she spends her time on issues that effect everyone, and she has no time to waste on simplistic male bashing.

Joan Walsh: What are your plans wrt Broadsheet? It's in a ghetto of its own making and if you read the letters, it's clearly a subpar effort.

I wish it didn't matter, but it does. And yes, I recognize the irony of posting this right after I criticized one of the country's top Op-Ed columnists, Maureen Dowd, but Dowd matters out of proportion precisely because she's so rare (it would be good for her to have more company). So it's great to count one more smart, mouthy woman in the top ranks of opinion-makers. Welcome, Digby!

Okay Joan, put your money where your mouth is please!

http://www.salon.com/opinion/digby/

I appreciate Digby's insight, intelligence, logic, analysis and wit.

My mental construct of Digby was always female. I had to think about why I had developed that. I believe that it was the lack of use of war-analogy and sports analogy as the go-to popular culture at-hands. Digby is so well-rounded, so urbane and so insightful that the analysis transcends the petty, the mundane and the popular Hollywood/MSM archetype of macho male.

I guess all I can say is I'm surprised that I wasn't surprised.

And I'm incredibly grateful that her voice is powerful, clear and has a growing audience.

Why isn't Salon snapping her up?

...when you're not making patriarchal assumptions?

Why did so many of us assume Digby was a guy? Why is the MSM salivating over Mitt Romney?

.. and still don't care now - Digby has and continues to be a leading progressive voice, period. Though I can understand the assumption that she was a he, based on the imagery on the site, and the basic fact that most online bloggers were male at the start. Humans make assumptions, that's what our brains do - fill in blanks, give a "voice" and image to unknowns (who hasn't been surprised when a comic book character, or character in a novel, whose voice you have heard in your mind after years of reading suddenly has a real voice to it in a movie or book-on-tape - jarring). That being said, if this announcement changes anyone's opinion of Digby and/or her writing, they are the ones who need to step back and analyze themselves.