> I've heard from many women in the last few days that they are, in fact, made uncomfortable by the overt sexualization that happens in programmer culture.
If straight guys in SF would like to get some perspective on this, imagine working 8 hours a day in The Castro in one of the more highly sexually charged environments there. I bet you'd definitely notice that. Being there also gives you a different perspective on what you thought were innocuous things like posters, let me tell you.
Do you want to be more explicit? Right now your comment is surely extremely convincing to people who know which environment you're talking about and what it's like, but will not help to enlighten anyone who doesn't already have the experience you're alluding to. And the people who do have that experience are probably already convinced! By The Castro, do you mean the neighborhood with all the gay people, or something more specific (a theater or bar, maybe)?
Heterosexual males can develop some sense of what objectification is like from the woman's perspective by figuratively walking a mile in analogous shoes.
If straight guys in SF would like to get some perspective on this, imagine working 8 hours a day in The Castro in one of the more highly sexually charged environments there. I bet you'd definitely notice that. Being there also gives you a different perspective on what you thought were innocuous things like posters, let me tell you.