Sexual Harassment

Green Dildos and Fragile Egos: Misogyny’s Latest Play in Women’s Sports

PUBLISHED 8/12/2025 by

The latest headline to make me question reality: green dildos thrown on the court during WNBA games.

Yes, that happened. And no, it’s not harmless.

When they can’t match our talent, they reach for props. When they can’t silence us, they try to embarrass us.

In an era when women’s rights are being stripped away—when reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy and basic equality are under siege—this is not the moment to shrug off “pranks” aimed squarely at women. We are already fighting to keep our resilience and focus intact. We cannot pretend that degrading women in the public eye—particularly women who have achieved power, visibility and influence—is just part of the game. It isn’t. It’s misogyny with a juvenile laugh track.

Trump’s History of Misogyny Was Obvious Long Before the Epstein Files Scandal

PUBLISHED 7/23/2025 by

The Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files has rattled his MAGA base unlike any other issue, and caused the president a major political headache. It remains to be seen whether he or the Republican Party he leads will suffer any lasting damage.

But for the many millions of Americans who are not fans of the current president, one of the truly astounding features of this scandal is how long he has been able to evade meaningful accountability for his history of misogyny—as well as serious scrutiny of his long friendship with the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Trump’s close association with the disgraced pedophile has been a matter of public record for more than two decades.

What’s even more tragic is that despite all of this, Trump has managed to get elected president of the United States not once, but twice. He has then used the awesome power of the presidency to roll back feminist gains in a number of different ways. His administration’s regressive agenda has included, during the early months of his second term, a dramatic reversal of progress in federal support for sexual assault prevention initiatives.

No-Rehire Clauses Let Employers Retaliate Against Harassment Victims … Legally

PUBLISHED 7/23/2025 by and

For Charlotte Bennett, alleged harassment at the hands of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) led to years of costly litigation and “extraordinary pain.” Bennett’s state-level case was finally settled in April, with a little-known clause included: If a worker settles a case accusing their employer of sexual harassment, discrimination or any form of abuse, their employer may legally include a “no-rehire” clause in the settlement. This clause bars accusers from seeking future jobs with their employer.

No-rehire clauses can also bar workers from employment with any affiliates, subsidiaries or partners of their ex-employer’s organization. If another company hires an employee, and it is later acquired by or merged with a company that employee has a no-rehire clause with, a federal court affirmed in 2023 that the worker can legally be terminated from that new job, too.

In an age of mergers and monopolies, the consequences of a no-rehire clause may follow a victim of workplace harassment forever. Depending on the size of their former employer, an ex-employee could be barred from hundreds of different companies if their settlement includes a no-rehire clause.

New York state Assemblymember Catalina Cruz (D) introduced AB 293 to fully ban such clauses across the state. If the Assembly bill and its Senate counterpart were passed, New York would join California and Vermont as the only states prohibiting or limiting these clauses.

Independence Day, Ranked-Choice Wins and Jacinda Ardern: This Week in Women’s Representation

PUBLISHED 7/3/2025 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, sports and entertainment, judicial offices and the private sector—with a little gardening mixed in! 

This week:
—This Friday marks the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The journey for women’s equal representation remains unfinished.
—Zohran Mamdani looks poised to join 36-year-old Boston mayor Michelle Wu as part of a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Northeast. It’s time for more aging men like Cuomo to step aside and let more women step up. And if New York City is any indication, the voters may take matters into their own hands.
—St. Paul in 2023 elected an all-women city council in its ranked-choice voting elections. There’s now a vacant seat, and three women are among the four candidates running in an Aug. 12 special election.
—Jacinda Ardern’s new book, A Different Kind of Power, highlights the shifting dynamics of power, how women are redefining what leadership can be, and the impact of fairer election systems for creating openings for new voices like her own.

… and more!

The Cost of Fine Dining: Claims of Sexual Harassment and Union-Busting at D.C.’s Elite Restaurants

PUBLISHED 6/21/2025 by and

While the elite of Washington, D.C. enjoy expensive meals at famed restaurants such as Pastis, Le Diplomate and Rasika, the workers behind the scenes have reportedly contended with sexual harassment, union-busting or both. 

STARR Restaurants, the high-end hospitality group led by CEO Stephen Starr, owns several hotspots, including Le Diplomate, St. Anselm and Pastis, as well as restaurants in Philadelphia, New York City, South Florida and Nashville. 

According to Unite Here Local 25, a union representing D.C.-area hotel, restaurant and casino employees, two workers at Pastis were subjected to sexual harassment by a supervising chef. The union claimed that the women experienced unwanted touch and verbal harassment, such as being grabbed by the neck from behind, being asked to kiss the chef and being called “babygirl” and “princess.”

From the Survivors of Diddy to Those Abused in State Custody, the Path Towards Expanding Protections in New York State

PUBLISHED 6/12/2025 by

Survivors of sexual violence, advocates and lawmakers in New York are calling for legislation that would fill key gaps in the state’s law, making it harder for those accused of sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination to sue their accusers for defamation. The legislation also includes a bill that would give people abused in state custody more time to seek justice. 

“If New York truly supports survivors, our laws should make justice in civil court more accessible, not less. Survivors should be able to receive monetary compensation that can aid their healing without having to face onerous legal hurdles. The package of bills we’re urging Albany to pass this session will do exactly that,” said Emily Miles, executive director of the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault.

‘Remember the Ladies’: Attacks on Gender Equity Remain a Core Feature of Surging Authoritarianism

PUBLISHED 6/3/2025 by

In the whirling, swirling hellscape of illegality and cruelty that is the current American political scene, it’s hard to keep track of all the individuals and groups demonized, deported and derided by an administration seemingly motivated by a Machiavellian desire for power that might make Machiavelli himself blush with shame. In the midst of an apocalyptic news cycle, one targeted segment of the population seems to be fading from view: women.

But let us not, as Abigail Adams wrote so many years ago, forget the ladies. “Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could.”

Survivors of Sexual Abuse Can Still Hope—But the Vatican Must Choose Justice Over Denial 

PUBLISHED 5/29/2025 by | UPDATED 6/2/2025 at 12:56 P.M. PT

When Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 9, 2025, survivors of clergy sexual abuse around the world looked on—not with awe, but with apprehension. His election, rather than ushering in an era of accountability and healing, has reopened wounds. Many had hoped for a papacy rooted in reckoning, but instead, we have received familiar deflections—denials of personal responsibility for cases that unfolded under his leadership in past roles. Rather than acknowledging institutional failures or the human suffering caused, he has opted for self-preservation over repentance, speaking in guarded tones that prioritize the Church’s reputation over the voices of its most wounded.

Orwell’s ‘1984’ Is Now—Thanks to Trump’s Playbook of Reversal, Gaslighting and Control

PUBLISHED 5/27/2025 by

Many have fallen for Trump’s lies—or don’t care about the truth. His cronies hope to acclimatize us, like a frog in warming water, to the atrocities of Trump’s authoritarian regime. If we continue down our current trajectory, I fear we are destined to become the controlled and manipulated society of Orwell’s 1984.

To think clearly, we must challenge their lies and relentlessly, loudly and clearly speak the truth. And we must invest in science, higher education, open debate and critical thinking without fear of penalty.

The ‘Subway Shirt’: How Young Women Are Dressing to Deflect Unwanted Attention

PUBLISHED 5/19/2025 by

An excerpt from Sexy Selfie Nation: Standing Up for Yourself in Today’s Toxic, Sexist Culture, in which Leora Tanenbaum offers an incisive exploration of why many young women wear body-revealing outfits and share sexy selfies and what these choices say about our toxic, sexist culture:

“As temperatures in New York City climbed, young women faced a dilemma: They wanted to wear summery tank tops and miniskirts but were concerned that as they traveled around the city, especially on the subway, they would be met with predatory stares, harassing, ‘Hey baby, won’t you give me a smile?’ comments, and even unwanted touches and gropes.

“And so, being resourceful New York women, they hatched a solution: the ‘subway shirt’—an oversized, shapeless shirt one slips over her ‘real’ outfit.”