Peter Schorsch
Legislators, aides and lobbyists in California, Rhode Island, and South Dakota are responding to the sexual predation of film producer Harvey Weinstein by saying they will no longer tolerate harassment in the political establishment.
For those working in Florida politics, the question now is, will the power-brokers here follow suit?
More than 140 women in California politics on Tuesday launched a campaign called “We Said Enough,” to denounce what they describe as pervasive sexual misconduct by powerful men in the nation’s most influential legislature, according to the New York Times.
“Each of us has endured, or witnessed or worked with women who have experienced some form of dehumanizing behavior by men with power in our workplaces,” the women wrote. “Men have groped and touched us without our consent, made inappropriate comments about our bodies and our abilities. Insults and sexual innuendo, frequently disguised as jokes, have undermined our professional positions and capabilities.
“Men have made promises, or threats, about our jobs in exchange for our compliance, or our silence. They have leveraged their power and positions to treat us however they would like.”
Political leaders in Rhode Island were among the thousands of women across the country posting ‘MeToo’ on social media alleging sexual harassment and assault. One lawmaker even went on record with the Providence Journal to say, “I have been told sexual favors would allow my bills to go further.”
On Monday, I wrote that the Harvey Weinsteins of Florida politics were hiding in plain sight. The reaction to that piece has been overwhelming. On Facebook, I highlighted my ‘Harvey Weinstein’ column and challenged my friends to tell me if I was wrong about them hiding in plain sight.
I’ve probably heard from a hundred women engaged in Florida politics—state Senators and Representatives, powerful lobbyists, staffers, fundraisers—and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM has said I’m not wrong.
Several women have described on social media how they have been sexually harassed. Offline, the stories shared with me have been even more powerful.
One senior legislative aide shared, “The one and only time I came forward, the House Sergeant told me that I should get better security at my home (where the elected official was showing up uninvited and unwelcome) and that I should think about resigning if it was ‘really that bad.’ ”
No wonder women in Florida’s political process have yet to do what their counterparts in California have done!
Not that I am any more courageous. I haven’t named the lawmaker who described my wife’s breasts as “Monique and Unique.” I haven’t named the former lawmaker who stalked her from bar to bar.
(Let’s not forget the, ahem, unique look of the Florida Capitol’s tower and chamber domes, making it the winner of a 2003 readers’ poll by Cabinet magazine as “the world’s most phallic building.”)
What I’ve learned is, there is a difference—maybe not a bright line—but a difference in those who sexually harass women in The Process. These men can be dividing into the following groups.
— The “predators”: Legislators who actively seek out young females and coerce them into sex. I would also include those who know and don’t stop young females from allowing themselves to be used.
— The “frat boys”: They treat Session like spring break. Several sources have confided hearing about a group of mostly younger members keeping score of who slept with female lobbyists.
— The “dinosaurs”: Lawmakers and lobbyists who are stuck in the ’70s and have an Archie Bunker view of gender equality. Fortunately, this is a diminishing group.
— The “negotiators”: Those who reward affection with access to inside information and behind the scenes help.
The dilemma that many women face when sexually harassed or essentially groomed into stroking a member’s ego and accepting crude comments about their physical assets is that they fear being cut out of the inner circle, a place which is essential in The Process.
That’s why I doubt this issue will reach a critical mass like it has in Sacramento and Providence.
It will take someone braver than me to light the match that would burn the house down.
Even if that person does not come forward, the upside of this discussion is that it hopefully creates an atmosphere where women—aspiring and established—are appreciated and who advance professionally for their hard work, intellect and character, and not subjected to degrading behavior and groomed into thinking their greater value is in their body.
