One who dared to step forward...
The #MeTooMovement against sexual harassment and/or assault began with the outspoken valor of “one” who dared to came forward, thereby encouraging other victims to step out from behind the shadows in order to gain some measure of justice against their violators.
Encouraged by a conversation with my mother during our recent gals’ day out for lunch, I share this true incident which took place during the early Sixties before shifts in attitudes toward women’s sexuality, freedom of sexual expression—and, I daresay, the right for us to be heard and not just seen.
The setting – 1964; 7th grade gym class. The logistics:
A boot camp where we girls wore a regulation short-sleeved, blue gym suit in which we ran the gauntlet of competitive track, shimmied and scurried along a labyrinth of monkey bars, aggressively punched volleyballs over a net, or gymnastically contorted ourselves to sorely test our limits.
Then, the mandated showering at the conclusion of gym, where we emerged from our respective stalls clad in underwear. Covering up with a towel, optional, among birds of a feather.
Out in the open, exhibiting various stages of dressing or undressing is when our principal, Mr. E, whom I’ll call Mr. Ewww, chose to enter and “address” us for some cockamamie reason or other. With our gym instructor present, this southern gentleman oozing smarmy gentility would preface his talk with, “Don’t mind me, I have a daughter at home.”
I recall one of the tougher girls amongst us, cracking chewing gum, stating after he left, “My father doesn’t even see me undressed!”
Timid as I was back then, I knew this practice wasn’t right, and finally told my mother what had been going on when I got home from school. Well, without further ado, she got in her car and drove to the other side of town to give Mr. Ewww a piece of her mind, not knowing if he was in his office after hours.
He was!
From that day onward, that perv never came into the girls’ locker room again. In retrospect, I blame our gym teacher for not speaking out on our behalf, whether she feared retaliation or not. I don’t know if the other girls told their parents. If they had, shame on those adults for not protecting their children by stepping forward with outspoken valor the way my mother did!
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glad times have changed, as a teacher I cannot imagine a principal or any other man tramping in to oogle girls in stages of undress today, sorry your principal seemed to be a strange one
good for you having the courage to talk with your mom and super on your mom for handling it face to face with the lout.
Never Stop Writing
m
I sense a little bit of that lingering repression when you didn't give us his real name. I'm sure by now he is dead and his relatives should know of his transgressions. The statute of limitation should protect him if he is still alive. But nothing will protect him from shame.
Three cheers for your mother! She came to the rescue at just the right time.
Ron
Sandie