We write to express our outrage and disappointment surrounding the publication May 27 of Cynthia Dill’s column disparaging Jessie Lacey for speaking and writing about her experience working for Maine Media Collective.
While Dill is entitled to her opinions and the Bollard article she references is not without flaws, the vicious manner in which she blames Lacey (and, by extension, other women) for not being “courageous” but rather “boring” is not only offensive, it is also harmful to survivors of sexual harassment and assault.
One in five women experiences sexual assault in her lifetime. As the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault states, “Each year, 14,000 Mainers will experience sexual violence.” According to a recent national survey, 81 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment, with 38 percent of that harassment happening at the workplace; two-thirds of those who reported it experienced retaliation, a separate study found.
As sisters, daughters, survivors, mothers, friends and Mainers, we want to live in a world where women are not blamed for being victims of men’s aggression or harassment. We do not limit our definition of courage to Dill’s myopic worldview, but rather are encouraged by any woman willing to face cruel reaction to her testimony by saying #MeToo.
Dill claims that “more courage is needed.” We believe that those who speak the truth, those who confront systems of power or injustice, or those who simply say “enough” are truly courageous.
Dill begins her column by asking, “Do you … remember that we have white women to thank for putting Donald Trump in the White House?”
Instead, Dill might ask: Who do we have to thank for the fact that 20 percent of women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime and numerous more women are harassed on a daily basis? And how can we support those who are taking the courageous steps to move us forward?
We include the two signers of this letter, as well as Portland residents Samantha Francis, Galen Koch, Kathryn Norgang and Lydia Pillsbury.
Tasha Graff
Portland
Greta Rybus
Portland
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