Of sexual harassment

I served in the USAF in the early ’80s. I can still remember the day our executive officer lectured me for 10 minutes about why women don’t belong in the military, then handing me a letter to type because, well, that’s what women are good for. I was in a band unit, and for a time was the only female barracks rat; my home was a practice room and my bathroom the office latrine.

Compared to the experiences of some female service members, I was lucky. There were no nude photos, no sexual assault, and the men in my unit were quick to protect and defend “their” women. At that time, the Air Force was really cracking down on inappropriate behavior. But my experiences since then, including the survival of an abusive marriage, have taught me that the “men’s club” atmosphere so many women are forced to contend with can have deadly consequences. While it may seem trivial to make a crack about a woman’s breast size or her menstrual cycle, the permissive attitude behind these jokes can allow sexual harassment to escalate to sexual assault, domestic abuse and even murder. Even worse, the victim of harassment or assault can find it difficult to convince anyone she has been harmed, or that the man involved has acted inappropriately—in part because she typically has to report the incident to a man.

How many times has it been said that a woman deserved to be raped because of her outfit, or that a battered spouse got what was coming because she had stayed in the marriage, while ignoring how difficult it is to escape the clutches of an abusive husband? How often have co-workers and bosses refused to give credence to a woman’s claims of abuse because the man was “such a great guy”?

How many people think Bill O’Reilly should not have been fired? That the women were greedy, the advertisers wimpy, and the media to blame for blowing the whole thing out of proportion? If that’s what you’re thinking, well, think again.

KATHERINE TUCKER

Perryville