Some Good Guys even in #MeToo era
Men behaving badly toward women have been grabbing headlines for several years. And revelations of outrageous behavior continue to have a snowball effect, compelling more and more women to recall events from as far back as 30 or 40 years and come to terms with the range of inappropriate, and sometimes abusive, behavior they endured.
But even amid the grotesque parade of sordid allegations against men in power such as comedian Bill Cosby and former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, women have created their own silver lining — that they have the strength to speak up and out and say “Me Too” and “No More.”
I don’t know too many women, including myself, who haven’t found themselves in situations where they have had to think fast on their feet or keep their mouths shut out of fear of retribution because they felt powerless to do anything else.
But thank God that most men are good guys. For every jerk who misuses his position of power to hurt or abuse, or “keep a woman in her place,” hundreds of guys are strong allies who work in partnership with women helping to break barriers in business and in government and other industries — not because they expect anything in return, but because it is the right thing to do.
For more than 15 years the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus has celebrated the Good Guys who have opened doors of opportunity for women. Past Good Guy recipients include: Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, who has assigned many women to leadership positions in the House; Jim Rooney, CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce; Mayor Martin Walsh; Gov. Charlie Baker, whose strong support of women in leadership positions was a key reason he won the governor’s office; former Assistant District Attorney Wayne Budd; Richard Taylor, chairman of the Taylor-Smith Co.; former Govs. William Weld and Deval Patrick; Bob Rivers, president and COO of Eastern Bank; developer John Rosenthal of Stop Handgun Violence; Leverett Wing, associate director of Community Services, Department of Housing and Community Development; Hubie Jones, social justice entrepreneur for City Year; Paul Grogan, president and CEO of The Boston Foundation and legends such as the late Sens. Edward Brooke and Ted Kennedy, to name a few.
This year’s Good Guys to be honored on Thursday at the Omni Parker House hotel include U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III; John Cruz III, CEO of Cruz Cos; Joshua Bekenstein, co-chairman of Bain Capital; and Edward A. Palleschi, deputy chief secretary of Boards and Commissionsi in the Baker administration.
Good Guys are always the best guys. Their active support for equality and inclusion for women deserves always to be recognized and celebrated.