Re: the May 2 letter to the editor "Why have women waited so long?"
The letter asks why women who have been a victim of sexual harassment wait so long to speak out. It has so many misperceptions it's hard to unpack, but I'll try. 1) It's assault, not harassment. 2) It's a crime, not a "crime." 3) The claims are rape, not "tried to kiss me" or "asked me to have an affair." 4) This type of behavior was never acceptable, it was tolerated.
It's hard to believe this message is still not getting through, so I'll outline it again: some men take advantage of their positions of power to threaten and intimidate those without power, usually women. And some have been known to use drugs and threats in an attempt to ruin the victim's life and career. Also, a woman without power is often not believed, even when she reports the incident to the authorities. This has, unfortunately, been common knowledge for quite some time, and doesn't seem too hard to comprehend to me.
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Barbara Jones
Oro Valley
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
