By Holly Gleason
When Taylor Swift took the witness stand in Denver, it seemed many people had forgotten—she was being sued. This public rehashing of an ugly breach-of-personal-space (a clinical term for gross sexual assault) was not instigated by Swift lashing out at a guy who lost all sense of courtesy, boundaries or couth. It was a result of a $3,000,0000 suit brought against her because his employer decided they didn’t cotton to that sort of conduct.
Swift—who countersued for sexual assault—had the “privilege” of retreading the experience of a man, an industry professional who should know better, sliding his hand under her garment, and grabbing her “ass.” When the picture-perfect star tersely hurled the term, she more than echoed the attitude of the kind of man who might consider such an action funny, a good story—or who just decided to act on his worst impulses. She’s not coming at him, people. On the day of the incident, she went back to the dressing room and told her mother—more than many victims of sexual assault or harassment get to do—and they had the gentleman escorted from the building. If they let his employer know, providing physical back-up, that’s only good stewardship: who wants someone repping their call letters who crosses those kinds of lines?
By Holly Gleason
When Taylor Swift took the witness stand in Denver, it seemed many people had forgotten—she was being sued. This public rehashing of an ugly breach-of-personal-space (a clinical term for gross sexual assault) was not instigated by Swift lashing out at a guy who lost all sense of courtesy, boundaries or couth. It was a result of a $3,000,0000 suit brought against her because his employer decided they didn’t cotton to that sort of conduct.
Swift—who countersued for sexual assault—had the “privilege” of retreading the experience of a man, an industry professional who should know better, sliding his hand under her garment, and grabbing her “ass.” When the picture-perfect star tersely hurled the term, she more than echoed the attitude of the kind of man who might consider such an action funny, a good story—or who just decided to act on his worst impulses. She’s not coming at him, people. On the day of the incident, she went back to the dressing room and told her mother—more than many victims of sexual assault or harassment get to do—and they had the gentleman escorted from the building. If they let his employer know, providing physical back-up, that’s only good stewardship: who wants someone repping their call letters who crosses those kinds of lines?
