Dear Virginia "Ginnie" Thomas:
In the words of a former Enron employee, I would like to know if you are on crack.
Let me get this straight: 19 years after Anita Hill testified in front of the Senate that your husband, Clarence Thomas, had sexually harassed her while she was his employee, you see fit to send the woman an email, asking her to apologize for what she "did" to him. Do I have that about right, Gin?
I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here and assume that men who sexually harass their employees don't generally admit to their wives that they're guilty. I can also tell you, from experience, that women who are sexually harassed do not make the decision to come forward lightly.
When I was a freshman in college, I had a classmate who was in his 50s. "Jim" was large and loud and we generally found him likeable. He had great stories from the 60s and walked with a cane--what's not to love? Eventually, I began to tire of him. After all, when you're 18 and a man who could be your father starts to tell you about he and his wife's sex life, you get...uncomfortable. Jim and "Linda" were swingers, he informed me. When I stared blankly at him in response, he smiled a creepy smile and said, "That means we like to play with other girls. Sexually. Especially young ones." Barf, I thought. But I smiled, mumbled something like, "That's cool...." and then screamed about it later.
Then, one weekend, my class went on a retreat. (It was the University of Dirty Hippies; there was organic food and ropes courses involved.) I happened to find myself alone in a room with Jim and, for some reason, I was immediately leary. I should have been. Jim took those few moments to sexually harass the hell out of me, even suggesting that I give him a quick blow job. I'm not trying to ruffle your well-groomed feathers, Ginnie; I'm just keepin' it real. He literally backed me into a corner and I stood there, mouth agape, wondering if I should scream, kick him in the nuts or cry. I'm not a small girl but Jim was about 6'4" and 350 pounds. Even with a cane, he could have probably pinned me down. Luckily, another classmate came in and Jim immediately backed off. After that, I skipped that class as often as I could.
Months went by. Finally, the last week of the school year, I tearfully wrote a letter to my professor, telling him what had happened with Jim that day. My professor was mortified and called me into his office. He wanted to know why I hadn't told him. I didn't even know, to be honest with you, Gin. I was pretty smart for an 18 year old. I was sassy, sarcastic and, from the way I talked, you'd think I could kick anyone's ass. But when faced with Jim and his disgusting, insulting words, I froze. Completely.
Ask yourself: what did Anita Hill have to gain by going public with what happened? Not a goddamned thing. She didn't ask for a settlement, so money wasn't her motivation. It's not like she wanted his Supreme Court seat for herself, so career goals weren't behind her accusations. Some people felt that her timing was suspicious; why did she wait until he was nominated to the Supreme Court to come forward?
My father insisted that we watch the testimony on C-SPAN. I was bored; I was 14. My father kept saying that this was important; he wanted his daughters to see this happening. I didn't understand what was so important. But now I know.
Despite her testimony, your husband was confirmed to the Supreme Court and Anita Hill was branded a liar. And now, you want an apology. Did your husband apologize? Can you say, without a shred of a doubt anywhere in your soul, that he didn't do the things she said he did? Do you expect me to believe that there was never one single moment when you weren't so sure?
After the Jim incident, I made a promise to myself that I would never let something like that happen to me again. God help the fool who tries it now. And understand this: I will never...ever...apologize for telling the truth. And I'm glad Anita Hill won't, either.
Fuck you, Virginia Thomas. Ask your husband to apologize.
Love. This. Piece.
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