This Lansing Reporter Calls Sexual Harassment 'A Pervasive Part Of Michigan Political Culture'

[TexasTowelie]

By Emily Lawler


In the course of reporting this story, I sat on the Capitol steps for ten minutes waiting for a source. In that time, a state representative sexually harassed a woman walking into the Capitol. That's exactly how prevalent this is. That's exactly how shamelessly this happens.

Women deserve space in politics. Too often, they're facing obstacles like sexual harassment, stereotypes, gender discrimination, tokenizing and being skipped over for the top spots. It's pervasive, and it doesn't know partisan boundaries.

Women walk into that building with a workload men don't have. It's finding a way to respond to inappropriate comments without getting fired. It's avoiding being alone with certain men. It's figuring out how to advance in a male-dominated world.

This problem doesn't recognize party lines. Every woman I talked to, on both sides of the aisle, made that point to me.

Read more: https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/27853/this_lansing_reporter_calls_sexual_harassment_a_pervasive_part_of_michigan_political_culture