It’s sad to hear of another case of sexual harassment against women in politics. It’s even sadder when that same woman who claims she’s been harassed is asked to explain herself.
US democratic senator Kirsten Gillibrand has revealed in an upcoming memoir that on several occasions some of her male colleagues on Capitol Hill would made comments about her body, sometimes going so far as to squeeze her waist .
In promoting her new book Off the Sidelines, which is due out on September 9, Senator Gillibrand spoke with US People magazine, sharing some of the dispiriting comments made by her male colleagues:
Among the litany of demeaning comments included remarks like:
“Good thing you’re working out, because you wouldn’t want to get porky!”
“Don’t lose too much weight now. I like my girls chubby.”
“You know, Kirsten, you’re even pretty when you’re fat.”
Sounds like good old fashioned sexual harassment in the workplace.
Gillibrand told People that she wasn’t especially offended by the remarks, citing ignorance from her male colleagues.
“It was all statements that were being made by men who were well into their 60s, 70s or 80s,” she says. “They had no clue that those are inappropriate things to say to a pregnant woman or a woman who just had a baby or to women in general.”
She’s using these incidents as motivation to tackle rampant issues like military and campus sexual assault, and is calling on other women to “speak up, gather strength and support one another”.
Shortly after Gilibrand’s comments went public on Thursday, a Twitter debate fired up regarding whether Gilibrand held responsibility to name and shame her harassers. The loudest of such request for Gilibrand to publicly call the men out came from three male journalists.
“I challenge this story,” tweeted Politico reporter John Bresnahan. “Sorry, I don’t believe it.” He later backtracked, deleted his tweet and apologised.
“Completely moronic tweet by me on People magazine piece re Sen. Gillibrand. No excuse for popping off. I apologise.” But the implication is there. A woman speaks out about sexual harassment and she is automatically questioned.
Then New York Times‘ Nick Confessore and Politico’s Alex Burns, also weighed in, implying that the senator was morally obligated to name the men in question.
“Shouldn’t Gillbrand name these Senate guys who fat-shamed her? Doesn’t she kind of have a responsibility to name them?” Confessore tweeted.
Burns tweeted, “The behavior she describes is straight-up sexual harassment and would force any male CEO out of his job.”
Well, no actually, she doesn’t hold that responsibility when there is still a lot at stake for anyone who publicly speaks out about sexual harassment — with plenty of evidence to show that when women do call out their male harasses, it often backfires against them, and leaves the woman punished.
It’s a sad reality that the onus is still on women to take responsibility, and where she risks withholding information, being branded a liar.
Gillibrand’s decision to speak out highlights the pervasive challenges that are not only faced by women in politics, but women in workplaces everywhere. The fact she has spoken up should be applauded, rather than questioned.