A handy primer on immoral politicians
The recent ‘slut-shaming’ of a California city councillor reveals some distorted values
Give the Sonoma Citizens for Peace and Cooperation credit for one thing: They knew sex would get our attention.
That’s the group that sent Sonoma, Calif., city councillor Rachel Hundley an email suggesting she drop out of the race for re-election. The anonymous group threatened to release a website (which has since been disabled) that reportedly contained photographs mined from her social media accounts, some of which show her in a bra and underwear at Burning Man, an art and music festival in Nevada.
“We believe your behaviour is immoral and unethical and has no place in our Town,” the email read. (Who capitalizes “town”?) “Sonoma needs moral and ethical leadership our children can look up to, and our community can trust.”
Hundley, 35, released a four-minute video calling the threats “slut-shaming,” acknowledging that she has served wine at a “consent-focused, sex-positive theme camp” at Burning Man and explaining that she won’t be dropping out of the race.
“I cannot be shamed into quitting,” she says in the video, “because I am not ashamed.” Sing it, sister. There’s nothing shameful about attending a festival in racy clothing. There’s nothing shameful about volunteering at a consent-focused, sex-positive event.
But if the Sonoma Citizens group thought those revelations would be the end of Hundley’s campaign, I can’t say I’m surprised. We in North America love to police women’s bodies and we’re easily distracted by anything that smacks of sex.
You can see how they assumed voters would confuse sex-positive and unashamed with immoral and unethical. We do it all the time.
Which is why I’ve prepared a handy little primer for helping voters decide when a politician’s behaviour is immoral and unethical. It includes several real examples of real politicians embroiled in sex-related controversies. (Though not nearly all of the real examples.) Some points to consider: Is the politician in question accused of posting naked photos of his ex, without the ex’s permission, on an Instagram account created under a false name? (Former Illinois state Rep. Nick Sauer.)
Has the politician been snapping photos of his own genitals and texting those photos to a 15-year-old girl? Has the politician admitted to similar behaviour repeatedly? Was the politician married with a young child at the time of the sharing of the genitals? Was the politician married to a woman charged with running another woman’s presidential campaign at the time of the sharing of the genitals? (Former U.S. representative and one-time New York mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner.)
Was the politician accused by multiple women of pursuing them romantically when they were teenagers and he was a lawyer in his 30s? (Former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore.)
Was the politician having an extramarital affair with a woman who told a grand jury the politician took naked photos of her without consent and threatened to blackmail her? (Former Missouri governor Eric Greitens.)
Did the politician receive oral sex while inside the Oval Office from an intern that was two decades his junior? (Former president Bill Clinton.)
Did the politician brag on tape about grabbing women by the genitals? (President Donald Trump.)
Did the politician’s former attorney plead guilty to campaign-finance violations and other charges, saying the politician directed him to arrange hush money payments to a porn star and a former Playboy model? Was the politician married with a newborn baby at the time of the alleged affair with the porn star? (Trump and Trump.)
Last point to ponder: Are you seriously looking for moral and ethical leadership our children can look up to? And does a woman’s festival attire seriously disqualify her from such a role?
Seriously?