It Starts Out Simple Enough: Second in a Two-Part SeriesYvonne Martinezbyline‚ Apr. 03‚ 2008EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second of Yvonne Martinez’s two-part account of her experiencing sexual harassment as a labor organizer. The first part is below. The only thing I could summon at the time was contempt with the confirmation that I got to him bad enough to warrant a below the belt sucker punch. The message was clear. You do that again and I will demean you sexually. I left that organization for other reasons, and didn’t complain about what he had done to me. I did what lots of us do. I internalized it. If I didn’t admit it, it didn’t happen. If it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have to deal with it, or so I thought. I continued to do my job and learned new ways to fight, contorted though it was, with one hand up in a fist and the other hand tied behind my back. |