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The lawmaker spoke up about the incidents of sexual violation and harrasment that helped define her views on various issues. Revelations of molestation are fairly recent in Speier’s life and only came out as she wrote her book “Undaunted”. In an interview of ABC7’s Cheryl Jennings, she offered more information on not only who was behind the event, but how it affects her policies today. “When I was a young girl, my grandfather molested me. And it took me years to tell my mother,” she said. “Why do I get so enraged when some of these things are presented to me? But then, I realized that it was that outrage from my childhood that was really spurring me to pursue all these issues,” Speier reflected further when asked about her current approach to politics.
The growing METOO movement also gave the representative a chance to address sexual harrassment that occurred early in her career. She choose to speak about the events in a video posted to her own YouTube account instead of traditional interview opportunities. Speier said during the video that “a chief of staff held my face, kissed me, stuck his tongue in my mouth.” While she did not name the assailant, she did say he was 30 years or more older than her. The lawmaker talked to CNN about her reasons for speaking out. “This is a problem nationally, and certainly Congress is not immune to it,” she stated. “The national conversation taking place in the wake of several high-profile sexual harassment cases. “The flood gates are open, we have reached a tipping point.”
Speier also sponsored legislation that helped address harassment on Capital Hill. “Time is finally up for members of Congress who think that they can sexually harass and get away with it. They will no longer be able to slink away with no one knowing that they have harassed. There will be transparency and members will be held accountable,” she said after the bill’s passage in both the House and Senate. In addition to directly confronting the problem, this legislation also streamlines the claims process to remove previously set hurdles towards reporting incidents.
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Speier Revealed She Was a Victim of Molestation and Sexual Harassment