The discussion began with a question about whether Storey's experience was similar to that of Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state, who during her time as the U.S. representative to the United Nations Security Council rarely encountered discrimination by diplomats in Fundamentalist states, yet frequently faced discrimination in the male-dominated Congress.
Storey answered that women currently constitute slightly less than a quarter of the Massachusetts state legislature. Although she said she "would not have wanted to be the first woman elected," she also added that she has not experienced gender discrimination. "I have never felt discriminated against because I'm a woman," she said.
Storey also noted that the female representatives of the state legislature cannot be stereotyped or generalized on any issue. "We are such a mixture," she said. According to Storey, the female representatives consist of a diverse range of people, including "scrappy single mothers who have had to work for everything they have" to those who are "rich, smart, not smart." Of course, such diversity is not limited to women. "All of this is true about men and women," she added.
The diverse range of opinions throughout the state senate results in a broad scope of opinion, according to Storey, who said she was surprised to find that female representatives do not even agree on the issue of domestic violence. Storey said there are older women in the legislature who still adhere to more traditional rationalizations about the causes of domestic violence because much has changed in the last three decades. Storey shared that many senior members of the legislature have thoughts such as "why doesn't she leave [the abusive relationship]" and "she must have done something to deserve [the abuse]" in reference to victims of abusive relationships.
Storey was not elected during the regular election period and therefore had a unique experience entering politics. She was sworn-in alone on April 8, 1992, and everyone knew of her presence. "They knew I would be peculiar because I'm from Amherst," she said.
Storey encouraged everyone present at the discussion to run for elected office. "You are exactly the kind of people who should run for office," she said. "College students are told to volunteer [their] time, but you should also be at the center of making policy."
Storey also stressed the need for more female politicians. "We need more women in office," she said. "We look at things from a different perspective."
Storey encouraged those who were thinking about running for office to spend a year or two after college participating in state government. "That will help you decide," she said. "I absolutely love it." Storey again stressed that those present should run "if you don't want people making decisions about your lives."
Storey said that she believes that more female representatives tend to support what are considered "women's issues" than do progressive male representatives. "There are women [representatives] interested in the financial world, but then they realize they need to fight for [certain women's issues]," she said.
The meeting continued with discussion on various topics such as Storey's experience in the Massachusetts legislature along with the issues of stem cell research and gay marriage in the state.
Those who attended the meeting asked Storey questions about her educational background and family life. Yet, some students who attended the lecture were already familiar with Storey. "I went to the lecture primarily because I'm very involved in the AFA and the older students in the group have spoken volumes about how awesome she is," said Claire Rann '08.
Rann, who has an interest in entering politics, was particularly intrigued to meet such a positive and inspirational female political figure. "I'm very interested in politics and enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with a state representative and pick her brain a bit," Rann said. "Storey is quite an interesting and accomplished person, and I feel that she has a lot to offer."
Scout Durwood '06 said she first met Storey at the Gala for Change in October. Durwood spoke positively of the experiences with Storey. "Ellen Storey is truly inspirational, and I mean that in every context of the word," Durwood said. "She provides a truly human perspective not only on what it means to be a professional politician, but what it means to represent so many different people."
Durwood added that Storey's experience is especially exciting because she is a female. "As a woman, she provides a unique perspective on what it is like to try to participate in a system which was originally designed to exclude women completely," Durwood said.