What About Her Career

During the Day 2 of the Virtual Week of Action seeking Justice for Vanessa Guillén, I was inspired to share my story of how perpetrator’s careers are protected over their victim’s. (To follow this week’s Virtual Week of Action, look here for details)

SPC Vanessa Guillén was sexually harassed while she was still alive, but did not feel safe coming forward. Her feeling of being unsafe proved to be true, when she was murdered in her company’s arms room. Her entire chain of command did not receive any form of reprimand in their role of cultivating a hostile work environment. Their careers are being protected, despite hers being cut short.

This is my statement:

“When I was still in the US Army, I was sexually harassed almost daily by a government civilian employee who was my direct supervisor.

The harassment extended from timing my bathroom breaks, texting me late into the evening with questions about my personal life, commenting multiple times about the absence of my boyfriend and how he could step in whenever needed, leaning close into me when speaking to me at my desk to the point where I could feel his breath on my face, and finally to telling me that my glasses were sexy

I was mostly alone in an office building with this man. I had no witnesses, I had no one who could intervene. I also had no options.

I enjoyed my job, but I was scared going into work every day not knowing how much further he could be taking his harassment that day.

I kept track of every instance of his harassment by confiding in a superior ranked officer that worked in a different department than us. I needed to have a record, but I knew without witnesses if something were to happen it would be, he said/she said and I would not be given the benefit of the doubt.

This eventually happened when I simply couldn’t take it anymore. I asked to move offices, because I started to become physically ill every time I went to work.

An investigation into his conduct was initiated by my leadership who were not at the installation. Once the news of me moving offices spread, other government civilian employees in the new department visited my office telling me of stories that occurred between my harasser and former female employees.

Despite their corroborating testimony and witness to the other female employees’ harassment, nothing was done. Those other female employees eventually quit or begged for immediate transfer in order to escape.

I wrote a sworn statement of all of the harassment I faced, and I included all of the text messages he sent me and the emails that documented the harassment.

As the investigation was underway, a Lieutenant Colonel asked to speak with me regarding the investigation. He asked me if “I was sure” of my testimony. When I told him, I wrote only the truth down on my sworn statement, he followed up with “you could be accidentally ruining a good man’s career”

What about my career? I didn’t want to switch departments, but I was forced to when I came forward.

What about the other females’ careers? They quit and transferred because of the ongoing harassment.

Why is this serial harasser’s career being protected at all costs whereas mine and others are deemed expendable?

Although after almost a year-long investigation and the decision being escalated to a 3-star general, the government civilian employee was terminated, I couldn’t help but wonder how many people in my higher leadership were hoping that it was me who was terminated instead?

Additionally, if it wasn’t for the other women who had filed complaints before me, he would probably still be employed to this day; because it’s as though three female careers are worth the same amount of one sexual harasser’s career.”