George H.W. Bush groped #MeToo

In May 2012, my husband, Bob, and I toured New England, Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC, as an anniversary treat. We stopped in Kennebunkport Maine for a night or two, and I joked with Bob that I hoped I'd get a chance to say hi to Barbara Bush I called her Babs at the local grocery store. Little did I know that I'd see her and her husband while we ate dinner at the recommended Italian spot, Grissini's, that night. The couple sitting at the table to our left asked for a photo with them as the Bushes were leaving the restaurant, and we asked for a photo as well. Both the president and Barbara Bush were very gracious. When we said it was our anniversary, Barbara asked how many years, that triggered a little discussion about marriage longevity these days. That year we were celebrating forty-two years. We got one of the servers to take our picture in fact, she took two shots. And during both, the former president rubbed my buttocks with the palm of his right … [Read more...]

The Me Too hashtag

Earlier this week the Me Too hashtag drew more than twelve million Facebook posts, comments, reactions in twenty-four hours. I was one of them. Thanks to social media, this response has gone viral around the world. Now women worldwide are using the hashtag, #metoo, against sexual harassment. Women are breaking out of their shells and telling their stories. Even one hundred forty female legislators, lobbyists, and political staffers in my state capitol, Sacramento, signed a letter saying sexual harassment is pervasive there. They said, Each of us has endured, or witnessed or worked with women who have experienced some form of dehumanizing behavior by men with power in our workplaces. My first job out of college was at a fashion trade magazine in downtown Los Angeles. I quit after three weeks because of the editor/owner's constant sexual harassment and humiliation. Then I went into the aerospace industry, and though it was little subtler, men still thought they could say … [Read more...]