A dam of silence has been breached at the state Capitol in Olympia. With a wave of voices rising to speak up and speak out against sexual harassment, an important move toward civility and social justice is cresting that will benefit those who work in state government and, indeed, citizens throughout the state.
Several stories in recent weeks have illustrated a culture of offensive behavior and egregious cover-ups at high levels of state government. Among those is a revelation that former state Rep. Jim Jacks, a Democrat from Vancouver, resigned in the middle of the 2011 legislative session not solely because he was battling alcoholism — as he had claimed — but also because he had been accused of sexual harassment. Last week, House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, revealed that Jacks’ actions at the time were “serious enough to warrant his resignation.”
This is not meant as an attempt to bury Jacks by dredging up the past. Instead, it is to place Washington’s statehouse firmly in the midst of important national discussions regarding sexual harassment and, in some cases, sexual assault by people in positions of power. It also is to highlight the lengths to which cover-ups routinely protect offenders at the expense of victims, creating a situation in which a dam of silence is accepted and normalized.
Buoyed in part by allegations about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and a culture of abuse and secrecy in Hollywood, the issue of harassment has garnered much attention in recent weeks. More than 75 people have accused Weinstein of harassment or sexual assault, and dozens of others have come forward to lob complaints about other high-profile Hollywood personalities. This follows accusations and revelations of financial settlements that ultimately led to the ousters of Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly at Fox News.
