Birmingham-based national women’s group takes on Microsoft, big tech
With Gov. Kay Ivey at the helm, Alabama has been hard at work luring new businesses to the state like ants to a picnic. It seems like every time you turn around, another big business it’s announcing its arrival or expansion in the Yellowhammer State. Just this week, Ivey on Thursday announced Facebook will invest $750 million to build a data center in Huntsville, creating 100 high-paying jobs. In April, Google broke ground on a new $600 million data center in Jackson County, Ala. It is expected to add upwards of 100 well-paying jobs with highly technical skill sets, including computer technicians, system administrators, software technicians and engineers. But one Birmingham-based national women’s is questioning at what price tech jobs, like these, are coming to the state. Women United — a group that describes itself as a next phase of the #MeToo movement, dedicated to defending all women by shining a light on men who take advantage of women, thinking they can hide or are above the law — is calling out the tech industry and companies like Microsoft for its long history of sexual harassment and discrimination challenges in the workplace in hopes of protecting Alabama women. “With the growth of tech companies has come a painful reality that women in the field face sexual harassment and discrimination challenges other industries have long since put behind them,” wrote the visionary behind Women United, Catrena Norris Carter in an AL.com op-ed. The 30-year veteran of both the civil rights and women’s movements in America isn’t accepting the news of new tech jobs without holding the industry accountable. The numbers don’t lie Sexual harassment runs rampant in the tech industry. Seventy-eight percent of women founders say they have been harassed or know someone who was, according to First Round Capital’s annual State of Startups survey. Discrimination is an issue as well. According to CNN tech, “89% of those making investment decisions at the top 72 firms are male, according to one survey. And in 2016, VCs put $64.9 billion into male-founded startups, compared to $1.5 billion into female-founded startups, according to new data from PitchBook.” And it’s not just taking place at startups. According to a filing, Women at Microsoft filed 238 complaints with the company’s HR department between 2010 and 2016, including 108 complaints about sexual harassment and 119 about gender discrimination. There were also eight complaints of retaliation and three about pregnancy discrimination, the filing said. The tech giant is currently in the midst of a court battle over these allegations. Looking for accountability Women United it looking to protect Alabama women from being added to the shocking statistics of sexual harassment and discrimination. “As our state–and, more specifically, our big cities, including Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile–looks to attract and grow tech firms, we must demand accountability regarding discrimination and sexual harassment,” Carter continued. “When lawmakers are cutting deals, they must ask those companies what they are doing to foster a safer and healthier environment for women.” “We don’t need that culture in Alabama–no matter how many jobs and tax dollars it brings,” Carter concluded.
All female senators want debate on anti-harassment bill
The Senate must begin debating legislation helping people who work in Congress pursue claims of sexual harassment or discrimination, all 22 female senators said Wednesday in a letter to the chamber’s leaders. “Inaction is unacceptable,” the group wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The letter, signed by 18 Democratic and four Republican women, was an unusual bipartisan display of public pressure on party leaders. The House approved legislation in February requiring lawmakers found culpable of violations to reimburse the Treasury within 90 days if they’ve used federal money to pay claims against them. Lists of offices reaching sexual harassment settlements would be published twice annually. The legislation would also speed processes enacted in 1995 for harassment complaints, eliminating required counseling and mediation before people can file cases. Employees could work out-of-office while their complaints are investigated. David Popp, a spokesman for McConnell, said he didn’t know when a bipartisan group would finish crafting a Senate bill. He added that McConnell “supports members being personally, financially liable for sexual misconduct in which they have engaged.” In a written statement, Schumer said, “We strongly agree that the Senate should quickly take up legislation to combat sexual harassment on Capitol Hill.” The letter comes as lawmakers continue reacting to allegations of sexual harassment that have swept Congress and the entertainment, media and other industries. In recent months, at least seven members of Congress have resigned or decided against seeking re-election following allegations of sexual misconduct. One of the women signing Wednesday’s letter, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., replaced one of those men in January: former Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who stepped down after being accused of improper conduct by several women. “Survivors who have bravely come forward to share their stories have brought to light just how widespread harassment and discrimination continue to be throughout Capitol Hill. No longer can we allow the perpetrators of these crimes to hide behind” slow-moving processes enacted in 1995, the 22 senators wrote. Both chambers of Congress have enacted measures requiring lawmakers and staff to take periodic anti-harassment training. But in Wednesday’s letter, the senators said they felt “deep disappointment that the Senate has failed to enact meaningful reforms” to how complaints are handled. The lawmakers said the effort to submit the letter was led by Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Washington state’s Patty Murray and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
#MeToo women and sexual harassment in politics
We’re at a turning point for women in politics right now, not just in Alabama but across the nation. In the last several years women have marched, have become candidates and have stood up against sexual harassment and discrimination in the face of the high costs. A newly released study revealed glaring insights to the sexism and misogyny that exist within the political arena. Almost half of women in politics across the globe have suffered abuse or violence — 44% of those surveyed said they have faced serious abuse, including threats of murder, rape and assault. I dare guess those numbers hold up for American women in politics too. The study was commissioned to be presented at a conference that began today. The Stop Violence Against Women in Politics conference highlights the fact that “more women than ever before are participating in politics worldwide. Higher numbers of women are being elected to public office and, in many countries, more women are attending political events, engaging with government bodies and registering as voters.” “However, as women’s political activity has grown, so has the frequency and degree of violent responses to their presence in politics. Globally, politically-active women – voters, candidates, local councillors, members of parliament, bloggers and activists – regularly find themselves on the receiving end of acts or threats of violence,” read the conference description. Politics is a full contact sport that used to be dominated by men. The good news is it’s not what it used to be, and when and where it fails you, you’re now empowered to stand up for yourself. What used to be common place on campaigns and in political or policy offices is no longer acceptable. Women no longer have to listen to degrading remarks, sexist jokes, be touched or lured at inappropriately. Women can hold positions of power and they can be strong and confident without being called names for it. All advancements made even in my short career. You don’t have to look beyond the headlines of what has been going on in some state capitols to see how change has started. In Florida, the future Senate President Jack Latvala was forced to resign amid a report concluding that he had probably sexually harassed a woman and potentially used sexual favors as leverage for lobbyists. In Arizona, State Representative Don Shooter was expelled by his chamber after a number of charges against him for sexually harassing and intimidating women including staffers and another state legislator. That case spiraled out of control and was only the first of two times in recent history where a member of a state legislative body was expelled by their chamber for sexual-harassment. In my 12 plus years in this field I’ve seen it all. I’ve worked for every type of boss and candidate. Some of whom I will respect and speak well of ’til the day I die. While Governor Jeb Bush probably couldn’t pick me out of a line-up, he was the first male politician I saw firsthand as I worked as scheduler in his office for just a few months before returning to Washington, D.C. Bush surrounded himself with women in roles of authority who embodied the spirit, strength and brains that young women could look up to. The atmosphere was so encouraging and many women rose among the ranks and went on to careers that have spanned the years since. On the flip side I also recently experienced a work environment so toxic and sexist that ultimately it led to my resignation. The attitude that age precluded even those in positions of power from being held to the most basic standards of human decency permeated a small office and women were treated as second class citizens without respect of their intelligence or respect of their personal space. Needless to say, I dreaded going to work everyday. I dreaded that my boss would hear my complaints validate them with his own experiences having seen the perpetrator harass women, yet do nothing time and time again. I dreaded that I ran through every option afforded to me including going to multiple lawyers involved in the association, and yet the sexual harasser was defended and protected. The board and chairman have continued to do nothing to rectify the situation. As a woman, as a mother I acknowledge that we have turned a major corner, but we have a lot further to go. What will really be the catalyst for change? When will women like me feel as though we can truly speak out? Well the change will have to come from a change in mind and hearts for every one us. Regardless of gender or age, we all have a role in making our country a better place. Teaching our little girls to use their voice and their vote is something that can be done each day. We can teach our boys to respect the girls and women around them and to stand up for them every single chance they get. We can encourage politics as a field of study for college aged women. We can encourage women, of every age, race and background, to run for office. We can expect, no demand, that, unlike in my recent experience, the men working in politics do what’s right. No questions asked. We can challenge those around us not to use this movement as a weapon but as an opportunity. In Florida women lobbyists spoke out about the fear that the women coming forward were going to set them back. That is a very real fear and no doubt that life as women have known it in this field will be different. The movement isn’t just about making women comfortable though it’s also about giving everyone the opportunity to work in an environment that isn’t hostile or anxiety ridden. Men are starting to take additional precautions to protect themselves against false charges and women need to be patient with them as they do so. It’s incumbent on each of us to make sure that
Melania Trump does not believe husband’s accusers
Melania Trump on Monday dismissed her husband’s sexually aggressive language as “boy talk,” insisting his remarks do not reflect “the man I know,” and said she does not believe that he has assaulted any women. Trump’s wife, in a series of media interviews, said she has accepted her husband’s apology and the couple is “moving on.” The comments come more than a week after the release of a 2005 video in which Trump brags about kissing women and grabbing their genitals without their permission. “I said to my husband that, you know, the language is inappropriate. It’s not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know,” she told CNN. She suggested that Trump may not have known his microphone was on, calling it “kind of a boy talk” that “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush was encouraging. And she suggested that the women who have claimed in recent days that Trump made unwanted advances were attention-seekers who were making “damaging and unfair” accusations. “I believe my husband,” she said in the interview that aired Monday night. “My husband didn’t do anything.” Mrs. Trump also said it is fair game for her husband to appear with women who have accused former President Bill Clinton of sexual assault, claiming the Democrats fired the first volley into the increasingly ugly war about the couples’ private lives. “They’re asking for it. They started. They started from the beginning of the campaign putting my picture from modeling days,” she said in excerpts released by Fox News ahead of the interview’s broadcast. “That was my modeling days and I’m proud what I did. I worked very hard.” Melania Trump’s image was used in a negative ad campaign during the Republican primary, but there is no evidence that the Clintons were involved. At the time, Donald Trump accused former rival Ted Cruz of being involved and responded by tweeting an unflattering image of the Texas senator’s wife. Cruz also denied involvement. The interviews are Melania Trump’s first moments in the public eye since the accusations over the last 10 days that have sent her husband’s White House bid reeling. First, a 2005 video leaked of Trump using vulgar language to describe women and apparently boasting of sexual assault. And in recent days, several women have come forward to say that Trump had groped or sexually assaulted them. The Republican nominee has denied the claims, calling the women liars and belittling their appearances. In the interviews, Melania Trump deemed the celebrity businessman’s comments on the leaked tape “offensive to me and they were inappropriate.” “And he apologized to me,” she said in an interview with CNN airing at the same time the crowd at her husband’s rally in Wisconsin was chanting “CNN sucks.” “And I expect – I accept his apology. And we are moving on.” She said something similar in a statement released by the campaign after the video’s release. She has also demanded retractions from a People Magazine writer who profiled the couple in 2005 and last week accused Donald Trump of an assault at the couple’s Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, while Melania was out of the room. And she repeated her husband’s assertion, which he makes without supporting evidence, that the media and Clinton campaign are working in tandem to sink the Republican nominee’s campaign. Melania Trump has never filled the role of the traditional political spouse, only making rare appearances on the campaign trail. Her speech at July’s national convention was initially praised until it was discovered that passages of it were lifted from Michelle Obama‘s 2008 convention address. Trump, who attended each of the first two presidential debates, was also lampooned on this week’s Saturday Night Live. The long-running sketch show ran a video in which actresses playing Melania Trump, her two step-daughters and two of the candidate’s most visible female allies did a version of Beyonce’s feminist manifesto “Lemonade” in an act of rebellion against the candidate. The video ends with the Cecily Strong, the comedian playing Melania Trump, suggesting she wrote the song herself. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
