Stephanie Chiarello might be out of a job if the wrong person reads this. Not to alarm you, reader; this chief of staff to a state representative has been pu
Austin American-Statesman Letters to the editor: Aug 30, 2021 statesman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from statesman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A forced kiss by a male colleague. A catcall by a state trooper assigned to guard the Capitol. Late-night texts. A work meeting hijacked by a male legislative staffer: You are my ideal woman, he told his female interlocutor.
The episodes illustrate what many women say is the biggest open secret at the Texas Capitol: That a culture of harassment persists despite repeated efforts to stamp it out.
In interviews with the American-Statesman, multiple women described a work environment in which they are objectified and made to feel uncomfortable in their daily interactions with male counterparts.
“Being a female staffer in the Capitol is uniquely and distinctly different than being a male staffer,” said one woman who works for a House member. “Women are treated differently.