咬牙强忍「揉胸摸臀」 加州议会150女控诉职场性霸凌
▲近150名加州议会女性工作人员公开谴责性骚扰问题。 （图／翻摄自Chuen Lwc脸书）
受够了！职场女强人挺身对抗性骚扰！美国加州首府沙加缅度立法机关有近150名女议员、说客及工作人员于17日发表公开信，控诉曾经遭受到职场性骚扰。自从好莱坞金牌制作人哈维韦斯坦(Harvey Weinstein)被踢爆过去数十年来，对超过30名女星性骚扰的丑闻后，相关议题就不断地引起大众关注。
她们在信中写到，当上百万美国人震惊于上周的哈维韦斯坦性骚扰事件时，她们没有，因为这些不适当的、令人不舒服的性骚扰行为存在于社会上每一个行业，「一名女性无论年龄、体重、信仰、性向、经历、社交关系或地位都无法幸免，这非常普遍。」
▲哈维韦斯坦被爆出曾对超过30名女星性骚扰。 （图／翻摄自YouTube）
「够了」信中提到，「在一个以公平正义的领导者自居的州担任政界女性领袖们，很多人会认为我们的经历会与他人不同，但其实不是，我们都曾经亲身遭遇或目睹职场性骚扰，以及与受害者一起工作。」她们控诉曾经被男性在没有获得她们同意下触摸身体，或以不适当的言语评论女性的身体与能力。
信中还提到，「为什么我们不说出来？有时候是因为害怕，有时候是因为羞耻，而且这些男性大部分都有权有势，掌握着我们的前途，很残酷的是，与他们的关系将会影响到我们的个人成就。」
根据KCRA报导，召集人之一的Autumn Burke表示，她曾被一名男性以不恰当的言语骚扰，但她的男同事不但没有阻止，还告诉她不要开不起玩笑。另一名召集人Cristina Garcia也提到，她曾被一名男性说客抓着并骚扰，但她信任的男同事却劝她什么都不要说，因为那名说客很有权势。她更表示，很多高级说客跟州议员都「捏过她的胸部跟屁股」。
▲召集人之一Autumn Burke。 （图／翻摄自Autumn Burke脸书）
▲召集人之一Cristina Garcia。 （图／翻摄自Cristina Garcia脸书）
另外根据《纽约时报》报导，说客罗培兹(Pamela Lopez)表示，她去年初在沙加缅度一间酒吧跟州议员及其他说客聚会时，被一名州议员尾随到厕所，锁上门并从身后压住她，脱下裤子并「露出下体开始手淫」，她被吓得不知如何是好，也不想把事情闹大。
另一名联署者律师凯伦(Karen Skelton)提到，某次工作必须与一名加州民选官员接触，在午餐时被对方从桌底下摸腿，还被摸头发，在凌晨1点时还被传讯息问她在哪里。
整封信虽然没有指名道姓地指控任何任职于加州议会的男性，但强烈谴责这种鼓励女性隐忍的陋习。加州议会发言人Anthony Rendon回应，议会于8月已经成立一个委员会，专门打击性骚扰问题，有必要的话，也会举行相关的强制性培训。
公开信的最后也呼吁，「当妳看到或亲身经历令人不舒服的行为，不要默不作声，大声说出来，并且要了解有一大群人会在妳身后支持妳。」
Last week millions of Americans were shocked to learn of the behavior of billionairemogul Harvey Weinstein. We were not. This same kind of inappropriate, sexuallyharassing behavior cuts across every industry and facet of our society. No matter awoman’s age, weight, religion, sexual orientation, race, social status, or position ofpower, she is not insulated from this behavior. It is pervasive.
Enough.
As women leaders in politics, in a state that postures itself as a leader in justice andequality, you might assume our experience has been different. It has not. Each of ushas endured, or witnessed or worked with women who have experienced some form ofdehumanizing behavior by men with power in our workplaces. Men have groped andtouched us without our consent, made inappropriate comments about our bodies andour abilities. Insults and sexual innuendo, frequently disguised as jokes, haveundermined our professional positions and capabilities. Men have made promises, orthreats, about our jobs in exchange for our compliance, or our silence. They haveleveraged their power and positions to treat us however they would like.
Why didn’t we speak up? Sometimes out of fear. Sometimes out of shame. Often thesemen hold our professional fates in their hands. They are bosses, gatekeepers, andcontacts. Our relationships with them are crucial to our personal success.We don’t want to jeopardize our future, make waves, or be labeled “crazy,”“troublemaker,” or “asking for it.” Worse, we’re afraid when we speak up that no onewill believe us, or we will be blacklisted.These degrading acts over time cause us to shrink back in our personal andprofessional lives. While advocating for the causes and clients in which we believe, andworking to advance our careers, we must concurrently balance these activities withworry, fear or shame.
We worry if the dress we wore sent the wrong message; if we are somehow at fault forour own harassment and abuse. We fear the ramifications of coming forward. Many ofus feel ashamed that we have failed to protect our friends from abuse. We have feltpowerless to stop the cycle.We’re done with this.Each of us who signed this op-ed will no longer tolerate the perpetrators or enablerswho do.What now? It’s time for women to speak up and share their stories. We also need thegood men, and there are many, to believe us, have our backs, and speak up. Untilmore women hold positions of power, our future is literally dependent on men. It’s time to promote women into elected office, in positions of leadership, and onto corporateboards.For those in power, this means choosing to work with firms that hire and treat womenfairly, and asking for a woman to be the lead on your account. It means choosing topatronize businesses that are led by and empower women. And when you see - orexperience - inappropriate behavior, don’t sweep it under the rug. Speak up, speakloud, and know there is a community of people who will support you.