Response to Capitol’s culture of harassment is still inadequate

The culture of sexual harassment pervading Hollywood and the U.S. Congress is now – finally – starting to get the attention it deserves. And the challenges women face when confronted with harassment and assault are starting to get the attention they deserve as well. When women object to mistreatment or file complaints, their grievances are often widely dismissed by their peers and supervisors; they face hostility for “rocking the boat,” and they often face severe professional and personal repercussions.

Inexcusably, this reprehensible culture extends far beyond the entertainment industry and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., including here in our own Colorado state legislature. That sexual harassment is a problem at the Capitol isn’t news to the women (and many men) who have worked there in the past or are working there now. But more women are speaking up, and the list of complaints about being sexually harassed keeps growing. Female aides, lobbyists, staffers and even legislators themselves have been subjected to lewd comments, inappropriate touching and being propositioned. Such behavior, and the culture of entitlement and disrespect that enables it, are deeply offensive and has no place in our elected bodies, our places of work or our schools.

This is clearly not a partisan issue, and it is encouraging to see that both Democratic and Republican leaders in the legislature are articulating a zero-tolerance attitude about sexual harassment. But beyond that the response so far has been confusing and inadequate. Leaders in both chambers and both parties need to take these complaints seriously and they need to unequivocally communicate to their members and to everyone else working at the Capitol that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and comes with serious consequences. And everyone who witnesses this kind of behavior or enables it in other ways, especially men, have a responsibility to call it out, to help make it unacceptable and to support the women (and occasionally men) who are targeted by it.

Jacob Smith Golden

Smith is a former mayor of Golden and has served as a U.S. Senate staff member.

Ashley Wheeland brings strong credentials to HD 9 race

I just Read Paula Noonan’s column on the Democratic primary and I was both dismayed and disappointed that she neglected to mention that my daughter, Ashley Wheeland, is a very strong candidate running against Rep. Paul Rosenthal and Emily Sirota (“NOONAN: Dem primaries in Denver will set stage for Colorado’s future,” Feb. 14).

She was a health policy aide for Ken Salazar in the U.S. Senate, a health policy advocate for One Colorado and the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, and she served the past four years as policy and political director for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. She is an attorney who graduated from DU. She certainly deserves mention.

Lance Wheeland Denver

Send us your feedback:  opinion@ColoradoPolitics.com