Dear Reader, MLive political reporter Emily Lawler told her social media audience a story last week that illustrated why she and her colleague Lauren Gibbons knew they had to write about the toxic culture in Lansing for women. She was 19, still in college and excited to start writing about politics in our state Capitol. She had bought new eyeglasses so she could work better.
Her first day on the job, a male senator greeted her with, “Hey, Sexy Specs!”
“I was like, ‘I'm not really comfortable with that,’ and it just kept happening,” Lawler said. “I found it so distracting that I retired those glasses. What male colleague of mine has been forced to put aside a medical need to do their job because of sexual harassment? None of them, I would suspect.”
What Lawler encountered years ago is representative, not isolated; it’s one small example of a toxic culture of bias, sexual discrimination and sexual harassment directed at women in political circles in Lansing.
And that's why Gibbons and Lawler tackled the always thorny topic of sexual harassment and the glass ceiling last week in a series stories that included raw stories from women who’ve gone through the male-dominated meat grinder. If the topic, or the women’s experiences, make you uncomfortable – good. It’s high time for change.
The duo interviewed more than 40 women who work in politics and public policy; 80 percent said they had been subjected to harassment; 93 percent said they’d forwarded concerns about another person’s conduct to colleagues or friends.
“We wanted to show that this is not about one specific person. It's not just about who goes public, it's not just about a couple of bad actors being brought to light by women who feel comfortable coming forward publicly,” Gibbons said.
Gibbons and Lawler sought to provide an avenue for women to share their stories, either behind their own names or anonymously. The latter because, even in the “Me, Too” era, there still are career repercussions for women who speak out about what they endure.
The project was steeped in a wellspring of firsthand experiences in Lansing. When female veterans of the Capitol need to orient newcomers on which men and which situations to avoid … well, maybe it’s time to clean the fish bowl, rather than replace the fish.
“I was first subjected to an extremely inappropriate comment at the Capitol when I was 22,” Gibbons said. “I know that it's not out of the ordinary. That's not an anomaly. This is something that a majority of women are experiencing.”
Sexist comments are a one element of a pervasive power-and-control dynamic perpetuated by a male-dominated institution. It’s also manifested in sexual innuendoes, actual physical sexual overtures, and a rigid “glass ceiling” paradigm that forces women to accept men’s coercive attitudes and behavior in order to get ahead.
“When I think about the 21- or 22-year-olds that are coming into the Michigan Capitol – they're full of potential, and they shouldn't have to put on a suit of armor every day to succeed in this field,” said Lawler. “As a society, we're missing out on some really valuable contributions because of the sexual harassment problem.”
The reporting by Lawler and Gibbons already is making an impact: Their story on a pattern of harassment by former Lansing mayor Virgil Bernero led him to announce he would drop a campaign to seek that office again. And in the midst of their coverage, the Michigan Legislature revealed sexual harassment policies that it had been shielding from the public.
“We always talk in journalism about how you're on solid ground if you're telling the truth, and this is just such a widely universal truth that resonated with so many people,” Gibbons said.
It’s gratifying that it got people’s attention; it’s sad that we’re talking about this problem 100 years after women got the right to vote. So, so far to go. # # #
🎧 To listen to this week's episode of “Behind the Headlines” on sexism in Michigan politics, click here. To listen on Spotify, click here.
Editor's note: I value your feedback to my columns, story tips and your suggestions on how to improve our coverage. Let me know how MLive helps you, and how we can do better. Please feel free to reach out by emailing me at editor@mlive.com.
John Hiner Executive Editor Vice President of Content Mlive Media Group
Having trouble viewing this email? View in your browser.
To ensure receipt of our emails, please add newsletters@update.mlive.com to your address book or safe sender list. You received this email because you are a subscriber to MLive.com newsletters. |