I don’t usually post on here, but something happened and I have to speak out. Today, a bunch of women got together in a room at lunch to discuss the sexism and harassment that runs rampant in our school. I recalled two stories, and cried both times, not realizing until that moment how much I was still effected. I was not assaulted, there were just comments made. One was blatant sexual harassment from a student, and the other was offensive and sexist comments made by a coworker. In each of those moments, I felt utterly powerless and confused and afraid, and ended up completely shutting down until it was over. The conflict with the coworker was a year ago, and I only remember 2 sentences from a 40 minute “conversation,” because I would not work at this organization anymore if I remembered what happened. I told people. My colleagues told people of similar experiences they had. And then the man got a promotion. I am tired of seeing this behavior validated and normalized by those in power.
The worst part is I am still afraid to talk about it because I honestly worry that others will invalidate my experience, saying that I just interpreted it wrong, or that I’m “too sensitive” and “emotional”.