If I were the only one complaining, I'd agree (with this being unnecessary---I don't quite see how the cost here is very large). But many women in the community both in the US and in France echo my experiences and concerns, as do many men. I also view it as part of my job as incoming faculty to discuss things that students may feel too vulnerable to discuss themselves.

Also, many on the core Coq development teams at Inria just feel this is bad branding for them at this point, as it inhibits adoption of the tool internationally.