The closing months of 2017 marked the beginning of the #MeToo movement, where women from various professional fields came forward with stories of sexual misconduct towards them by men in positions of power.
The movement, which continues to end the careers of many men in both Hollywood and the District of Columbia alike, is affecting the Capitol here in the Lone Star state as well.
Due to a bombshell report from Olivia Messer of the Daily Beast, which is filled with promises of similar reports to follow, the Texas Legislature was rocked with allegations of sexual misconduct, particularly by elected officials. In the report, a number of anonymous sources came forward to level allegations against State Sen. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) and thuggish State Sen. Borris Miles (D-Houston) of grossly inappropriate behavior towards women working in the Capitol.
As opposed to actively calling for resignation of the two state senators, changing the way in which sexual harassment or assault is reported in the Capitol, lobbying for legislation that would change the culture of abuse in the Capitol, or coming forward with more information regarding specific incidents of sexual misconduct, the Legislature put together this doozy of a video, as reported by the Texas Observer.
The video, which is roughly 40 minutes in length, is a poorly assembled Powerpoint with accompanying narration. After having viewed the presentation, legislators will have to take a ten question quiz, on which they must score a 70% in order to pass. Should they not pass the common-sense quiz on the first attempt, they must retake it, with no requirement to rewatch the video.
This video was part of an effort to confront the growing issue of sexual misconduct in the legislature by the House Administration Committee, which is headed by fraudulent State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth), who has lied in the past about his knowledge of these sorts of events.
As opposed to taking steps towards actual reform, Geren and his faux committee, along with other lawmakers’ empty words and promises, have shown their commitment rings hollow, and embarrassingly ineffective for ending the sort of egregious behavior that brought about this storm in the first place.
