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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.
https://twitter.com/emilyjanelawler/status/1384477237840318466
https://twitter.com/emilyjanelawler/status/1384477237840318466
Every time there's a story about sexual harassment in Michigan politics there's this notion -- mostly among men -- that it's an extreme or rare example. This story from @LaurenMGibbons and I puts that to rest. It's happened to women you know. It's still happening.
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.
I know because I've walked into that building, and political events across Michigan, with some of the same pressures. But I'm the press. Me writing this story is always a possibility. The passionate, talented women staffing this industry have less recourse.
This problem doesn't recognize party lines. Every woman I talked to, on both sides of the aisle, made that point to me. That tracks with my personal experiences with sexual harassment. It's a pervasive part of Michigan political culture, period.
And just like no instance of sexual harassment is a one-off, neither is this story. Lauren and I are working on stories about reporting structures, how women benefit the political system and potential policy solutions. If you have something to share, please reach out.
I am unbelievably proud of the brave women that made this story possible. Some of them appear in it, some of them do not or cannot. But every single one of the 40+ women we spoke with gave Lauren and I the insight and perspective we needed to report out this story.
In a small way, this story is also for my younger self. This is me in new glasses I got in 2014. I quit wearing them, reverted to an old prescription & squinted for a year because a senator wouldn't stop calling me "sexy specs." I asked him to stop but had no power.
I felt belittled and alone. I don't want another 20-something woman at the capitol to feel that way. I hope this story serves as a thread of connection to the women before you who were made to feel vulnerable once. I hope the women after you aren't made to feel this same way.
And for more reporting on this important subject please subscribe to @MLive here: https://www.mlive.com/subscribe/
My editors carved out WEEKS for us to work on this, and that's the kind of commitment this subject needs. And it's the kind of journalism this town needs.
My editors carved out WEEKS for us to work on this, and that's the kind of commitment this subject needs. And it's the kind of journalism this town needs.
Thank you, as always, for reading.
