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Foley Scandal
"Every time I did speak out about harassment, I heard all the usual responses: 'You’re just being too sensitive,' 'He didn’t mean it that way...'"
By Ashley Stewart
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When Youth Radio’s Ashley Stewart first heard about Representative Mark Foley’s sexually explicit messages to Congressional Pages, she reflected back on her own experiences with an overly friendly supervisor. She wonders if, in the case of any kind of sexual harrassment, it really does help to speak up. Although in Ashley's experience telling others never helped, she awaits to see what will happen with the Foley case. (October 19 on KQED)
Two years ago, during my first year at college, I snagged a coveted position in the Student Publications Department. The first couple of weeks, I had a great time squirreled away in the basement of the student union building, filing old articles in the archives. It wasn’t until our first staff meeting that I began to notice a few abnormalities.
We met at a local bar. After the first hour, our boss had downed a pitcher of beer, and with a glazed-over look in his eye, he hiccupped through the rest of the agenda. When he finally reached the end, everyone clamored for the door, some making half-hearted excuses about how they really had to get home and study. I let him buy me a glass of some really bad house wine. And after about fifteen minutes, I stood up and told him I had to go. He ignored my outstretched hand, and gave me a big bear hug. With his face close enough to mine to smell the Guinness, he told me he was really happy he hired me.
I didn’t think much of the incident. A few weeks later a rumor started going around the office that he had commented on one of our coworkers’ breasts and then asked her to lift up her shirt so he could see the color of her bra.
A few of the girls asked me to join them in telling our boss’s supervisor what was going on. I told them I would try to make it, but the day of the meeting came and went, and I never gave a statement.
I’m still not sure why I stayed away. I like to tell myself that, if my supervisor were to corner me in some dark part of the library and demand whatever someone lurking in a dark hallway might demand, I would take immediate action. But to be honest, I’m not so sure I would. Every time I did speak out about harassment, I heard all the usual responses: “You’re just being too sensitive, “He didn’t mean it that way”, “Lock the deadbolt and go to sleep.”
So, when I heard about the Foley scandal, I wasn’t that surprised. I’m interested to see what happens – and if in the end, it was worth it for that kid to speak up.
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