A letter has been written by an apparently cute female sailor at the recent Etchells 22 Worlds, in which she claims to have been sexually harassed, subjected to unwanted touching, and stalked. Now, we don’t know if this is true – though it sure sounds legit – but the claimant’s name was not published.
And though she, in rather vivid detail, describes the numerous incidents, and even claims to know who some of the men are, no names are mentioned.
The Etchells Class is heavily promoting this letter as they should, but what good does any of this do if the alleged perpetrators are not outed and named? We have heard rumors about who at least one of them is, and those who know are not surprised in the least. It is not for us to say the name, as we weren’t there, and have no credible evidence. It is for the female accuser to say. No doubt there were many witnesses.
If nobody is named, then the aggressive, sexist pigs who did this, get away with it with zero consequences, and that is simply fucking wrong.
What if Harvey Weinstein’s victims had never come forth? That hideous fuck would still be doing the same awful shit he did to young, vulnerable women. Sailing has a horrific culture of drunk sailors trying to hit on virtually any female they see. In this day and age, that is simply no longer acceptable.
I believe this woman needs to find an excellent attorney who has a proven record in this type of scenario, and start naming names.
You fuckers know who you are, and you all deserve to be punished – kicked out of the Etchells class, banned from any and all sailboat racing for a year and then we’ll see how awesome y’all think you are.
This has to change, and this is the perfect opportunity to effect change. Sure, it’s going to take some legitimate fortitude, but the entire sailing community (minus the rapey ones) will thank you, respect you and honor you for what you have done.
“It has to start somewhere, it has to start sometime. What better place than here, what better time than now? ” – Rage Against the Machine.
Jump in the thread to discuss. Oh and btw, the person who printed the letter is no hero. He sure as hell doesn’t want names named – a couple of them are likely his buddies.
– ed.
