Not only does sexual harassment happen at Kansas Capitol, ‘it’s a regular occurrence’
TOPEKA Legislative interns and other young women in the Kansas Capitol have faced sexual advances and lewd comments from lawmakers of both political parties, but their harassment remained largely hidden until recent revelations.
堪萨斯州议会大厦的托皮卡立法实习生和其他年轻女性都面临着两党议员的性挑逗和猥亵言论，但她们的骚扰在很大程度上仍然是隐藏的，直到最近被揭露。
There’s a pervasive “good ol’ boy” environment in the statehouse, said one female college student, a former statehouse intern.
一位曾担任州议会实习生的女大学生表示，州议会里弥漫着一种“好男孩”的氛围。
“It’s a regular occurrence, hearing comments,” said the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she continues to see legislators to advocate for bills.
“听到评论是经常发生的事情，”这位不愿透露姓名的女士说，因为她继续看到立法者倡导法案。
“It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, why would you say that?
“这就像是，‘天哪，你为什么这么说？
It’s super inappropriate and you’d never say that to a male intern.’ It becomes normal after a while.
这是非常不合适的，你永远不会对男性实习生说这种话。”过了一段时间就变得正常了。
As time goes by, you just kind of accept it.”
随着时间的推移，你就会接受它。”
“But you’re also like, ‘OK, I really like this internship and it’s a good opportunity,’ so you’re willing to ignore things that were said, which sucks because you shouldn’t have to.”
“但你也会说，‘好吧，我真的很喜欢这次实习，这是一个很好的机会’，所以你愿意忽略别人所说的事情，这很糟糕，因为你不应该这样做。”
Women at statehouses from California to Rhode Island have been speaking out on sexual harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal , which sparked a national conversation.
哈维·韦恩斯坦丑闻引发全国性讨论后，从加利福尼亚州到罗德岛州，各州议会中的女性都在就性骚扰问题发声。
In Kansas, legislative leaders have sought input from the Women’s Foundation, a Kansas City-based group that advised Missouri on reforms when its culture of harassment was uncovered by The Star two years ago.
在堪萨斯州，立法领导人征求了妇女基金会的意见，该组织是一家总部位于堪萨斯城的组织，两年前《星报》揭露密苏里州的骚扰文化后，该组织为密苏里州的改革提供了建议。
And Democratic candidates for governor released plans for new training and reporting standards in the wake of former staffers and others speaking out last week about inappropriate behavior by Kansas Democrats , including a reliance of female interns as designated drivers after lobbyist-hosted cocktail hours.
上周，前工作人员和其他人公开批评堪萨斯州民主党人的不当行为，包括在游说者举办的鸡尾酒会后依赖女性实习生作为指定司机，之后，民主党州长候选人发布了新的培训和报告标准计划。
But the issue is not confined to one political party.
但这一问题并不局限于某个政党。
Two former interns recounted harassment they received from Republican lawmakers after The Star reported on allegations of harassment last week.
上周《星报》报道了骚扰指控后，两名前实习生讲述了他们受到共和党议员的骚扰。
About two years ago, the first woman, a student at a small Kansas university, was talking to a House Republican at an event, telling him why he should vote a certain way on a bill.
大约两年前，第一位女性，堪萨斯州一所小型大学的学生，在一次活动中与一位众议院共和党人交谈，告诉他为什么应该对一项法案投票。
“He completely disregarded what I was saying and asked, ‘How hard would you slap me if I tried to kiss you?’ I was just out of high school and he knew that,” she said.
“他完全无视我所说的话，并问道，‘如果我想吻你，你会打我几巴掌？’我当时刚刚高中毕业，他知道这一点，”她说。
At one point, she said, the legislator told her that he’d had sex with two other young women she knew and didn’t understand why she wouldn’t have sex with him.
她说，立法者有一次告诉她，他与她认识的另外两名年轻女性发生了性关系，但不明白为什么她不与他发生性关系。
She later told the other women what he’d said and they told her it wasn’t true.
后来她把他的话告诉了其他女人，但她们告诉她这不是真的。
“He’s so gross.
“他太恶心了。
He just makes my skin crawl and he made other people feel that way, too,” the woman said.
他让我起鸡皮疙瘩，他也让其他人有同样的感觉，”这位女士说。
“If your comment has anything to do with a woman’s body or clothing or it’s not work-related, you probably shouldn’t say it.”
“如果你的评论与女性的身体或服装有关，或者与工作无关，你可能不应该这么说。”
“(The statehouse) can be a very sexually objectifying environment,” the woman said.
“（州议会大厦）可能是一个非常物化性的环境，”这位女士说。
But she thinks it’s much better than it used to be.
但她认为现在比以前好多了。
Part of the reason?
部分原因？
More women serving in the Legislature, she said.
她说，更多女性在立法机构任职。
A total of five women have been added to the statehouse since 2015.
自 2015 年以来，共有 5 名女性加入州议会。
“There definitely were times when the Legislature was more hostile toward female interns,” she said.
“立法机关肯定曾经对女性实习生更加敌视，”她说。
“Two years ago was a lot rougher, when there were not as many female legislators.
“两年前的情况要艰难得多，当时女性立法者还没有那么多。
There was a legislator that tried to introduce a female dress code in the Capitol .
有一位立法者试图在国会大厦引入女性着装规范。
It felt way different, not as welcoming.
感觉很不一样，不那么受欢迎。
This session felt more comfortable, and I would have felt comfortable talking if anything happened to me.
这次会议感觉更舒服，如果我发生任何事情，我会感到很舒服。
“We need even more women in the Legislature.
“我们需要更多的女性进入立法机构。
The environment would drastically improve with more women elected, and the female interns really look up to them.”
随着更多女性当选，环境将大大改善，女性实习生真的很尊敬她们。”
Another woman, who requested anonymity, recently described to The Star an experience she had as a legislative intern through the University of Kansas’ intern program in 2009.
另一位不愿透露姓名的女士最近向《星报》描述了她 2009 年通过堪萨斯大学实习生计划担任立法实习生的经历。
She remembers being on the Senate floor near the windows in the chamber when a male Republican senator approached her.
她记得当一名男性共和党参议员走近她时，她正在参议院的地板上靠近会议厅窗户的地方。
“He just came up,” she said.
“他刚刚上来，”她说。
“And it wasn’t ...
“而且这不是...
it was just like a very passing comment, like he looked at me, he smiled, he said, ‘Hey, do your panties match your outfit?’ and then winked, and then walked on by.”
这就像一个非常顺便的评论，就像他看着我，他微笑着，他说，‘嘿，你的内裤和你的衣服搭配吗？’然后眨了眨眼睛，然后走了过去。”
She remembers worrying about what she was wearing, even though she said her outfit wasn’t flashy.
她记得自己担心自己穿什么，尽管她说自己的衣服并不华丽。
She wondered if she needed to wear baggier pants or a turtleneck.
她想知道是否需要穿宽松的裤子或高领毛衣。
“I just kind of really faded out because I just didn’t want to be around.
“我真的有点淡出了人们的视线，因为我只是不想待在身边。
I just got a really bad taste for it,” she said.
我只是觉得它的味道非常糟糕，”她说。
“I thought it was my fault.”
“我以为这是我的错。”
She shied away from social events involving the Legislature because she “felt weird vibes from other senators.”
她回避涉及立法机关的社交活动，因为她“感受到其他参议员的奇怪氛围”。
Asked if she had received any training or guidance from KU on making a sexual harassment complaint or about boundaries with lawmakers, she said, “Absolutely not.”
当被问及她是否接受过来自堪萨斯大学的任何有关性骚扰投诉或与立法者界限的培训或指导时，她说：“绝对没有。”
“I didn’t know what sexual harassment was,” she added.
“我不知道什么是性骚扰，”她补充道。
“I had no idea.”
“我不知道。”
Burdett Loomis, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Kansas, has run KU’s legislative intern program in Topeka for more than 30 years and has said he’s never received a complaint about harassment.
堪萨斯大学政治学名誉教授伯德特·卢米斯 (Burdett Loomis) 负责堪萨斯大学在托皮卡的立法实习项目已有 30 多年，他表示自己从未收到过有关骚扰的投诉。
The program has roughly 15 to 20 students every session.
该项目每期大约有 15 至 20 名学生。
After recent revelations, Loomis said he wasn’t surprised to hear about the panties comment made to one of his former students.
在最近的爆料之后，卢米斯表示，听到他对一名以前的学生发表内裤评论，他并不感到惊讶。
“If you’d asked me 10 or 15 years ago, I might be more surprised,” Loomis said.
“如果你在 10 或 15 年前问我，我可能会更惊讶，”卢米斯说。
“All I’m saying is, I’m talking to you in the context of 2017.”
“我想说的是，我是在 2017 年的背景下与你们交谈的。”
Loomis said KU does not provide any specific sexual harassment training for students going through the legislative program, including on how to report harassment.
卢米斯表示，堪萨斯大学不会为参加立法计划的学生提供任何具体的性骚扰培训，包括如何举报骚扰。
“The Legislature itself might do some,” he said.
“立法机关本身可能会做一些事情，”他说。
“We have never done anything explicitly.
“我们从未明确做过任何事情。
We talk to them about being in office and, to an extent, about being in social situations as well, but no, we haven’t.”
我们与他们谈论在办公室的事情，在某种程度上，也谈论在社交场合的事情，但我们没有。”
Loomis added that either through the Legislature or KU, some kind of training will be incorporated into the program for the next session.
卢米斯补充说，无论是通过立法机关还是KU，某种培训都将纳入下一届会议的计划中。
KU students do receive broader sexual harassment training through the university each year, according to Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, a spokeswoman for the University of Kansas.
堪萨斯大学发言人艾琳·巴科姆-彼得森 (Erinn Barcomb-Peterson) 表示，堪萨斯大学的学生每年都会接受更广泛的性骚扰培训。
She called the description of the exchange between a student and a former lawmaker “unacceptable and troubling.”
她称一名学生和一名前议员之间的交流的描述“不可接受且令人不安”。
“At KU, we would encourage any intern who has experienced harassment to contact legislative leaders, law enforcement, the internship program director, or our Office of Institutional Opportunity & Access,” she said in an email.
她在一封电子邮件中说：“在堪萨斯大学，我们鼓励任何经历过骚扰的实习生联系立法领导人、执法部门、实习项目主任或我们的机构机会和准入办公室。”
Barcomb-Peterson said that both “the Legislature and the university — if notified — would investigate the complaint.”
巴科姆-彼得森表示，“立法机关和大学——如果接到通知——将会调查这一投诉。”
Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, said the remark described by the former KU intern was “absolutely unacceptable behavior.”
参议院议长、威奇托共和党人苏珊·瓦格尔表示，这位前堪萨斯大学实习生所描述的言论是“绝对不可接受的行为”。
The title of representative or senator doesn’t given anyone the right to abuse his or her power, Wagle said.
瓦格尔说，众议员或参议员的头衔并不赋予任何人滥用权力的权利。
“The problem we run into with these incidents is, people are unwilling to name the perpetrator,” she said.
“我们在这些事件中遇到的问题是，人们不愿意说出肇事者的名字，”她说。
“And we really need, when it comes to sexual harassment, for women to name the perpetrator.
“当谈到性骚扰时，我们确实需要女性说出肇事者的名字。
Because once one person is named, usually a number of people come out with the same complaint.
因为一旦一个人被点名，通常会有很多人提出同样的抱怨。
But it takes one brave woman to name someone.”
但需要一位勇敢的女性才能为某人命名。”
Wagle said she’s willing to talk to any person who wants to report harassment at the statehouse.
瓦格尔表示，她愿意与任何想要举报州议会骚扰行为的人交谈。
“If people want to name names, we’ll investigate,” she said.
“如果人们想指名道姓，我们会调查，”她说。
House Speaker Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, said Monday that his office has had to deal with sexual harassment during his tenure as speaker, which began this year, and that it followed the procedures laid out in the Legislature’s official policies.
众议院议长、奥拉西共和党人罗恩·莱克曼周一表示，自今年开始担任议长以来，他的办公室必须处理性骚扰问题，并遵循立法机关官方政策规定的程序。
“That’s what we’ve done in the past and we’ll continue to do that,” he said, without providing any specific details on individual cases.
“这就是我们过去所做的，我们将继续这样做，”他说，但没有提供有关个别案件的任何具体细节。
Internships from the various universities are overseen by the House speaker pro tem’s office, which is currently held by Rep.
各大学的实习由众议院议长临时办公室负责监督，该办公室目前由众议员担任。
Scott Schwab, an Olathe Republican.
斯科特·施瓦布 (Scott Schwab)，奥拉西共和党人。
Schwab’s office would not say how many total interns work in the Capitol each year, but said in a statement that all interns take part in an orientation program where they are informed about conduct, sexual harassment and proper reporting channels.
施瓦布的办公室不愿透露每年在国会大厦工作的实习生总数，但在一份声明中表示，所有实习生都会参加入职培训计划，了解行为、性骚扰和适当的举报渠道。
“In addition, all interns are instructed to remain in contact with their assigned caucus coordinators and are encouraged to immediately report to their caucus coordinators and/or assigned legislator anything they find inappropriate or that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened,” the statement said.
声明称：“此外，所有实习生都被要求与指定的核心小组协调员保持联系，并鼓励他们立即向核心小组协调员和/或指定的立法者报告任何他们认为不合适或让他们感到不舒服或受到威胁的情况。”
Kansas State University spokeswoman Cindy Hollingsworth said in an email that roughly 10 K-State students hold internships at the Capitol each session, “but the university does not manage any part of the program.”
堪萨斯州立大学发言人 Cindy Hollingsworth 在一封电子邮件中表示，每期大约有 10 名堪萨斯州立大学学生在国会大厦实习，“但该大学不管理该项目的任何部分。”
Natalie Parker, who worked as an intern during the 2015 session, said she was never sexually harassed during her time at the Legislature.
2015 年会议期间担任实习生的娜塔莉·帕克 (Natalie Parker) 表示，她在立法机关任职期间从未受到过性骚扰。
However, she said she observed a culture of disrespect for women.
然而，她说她观察到了一种不尊重女性的文化。
“Some of what I observed or experienced is, just in general, older gentlemen being less formal and so I think what that kind of lends itself to is older men sometimes not understanding where they need to create boundaries,” she said.
“我观察到或经历过的一些情况是，一般来说，年长的绅士不太正式，所以我认为这种情况的原因是年长的男性有时不明白他们需要在哪里划定界限，”她说。
Christina Ostmeyer, a Lawrence resident who served as an intern in 2016, also said she was never harassed and considered her time at the Capitol to be a great experience.
2016 年担任实习生的劳伦斯居民克里斯蒂娜·奥斯特迈耶 (Christina Ostmeyer) 也表示，她从未受到过骚扰，并认为在国会大厦的经历是一次很棒的经历。
But she said she did recall one occasion when she overheard a male lawmaker comment on a female legislative staffer’s body.
但她说，她确实记得有一次，她无意中听到一名男性议员对一名女性立法工作人员的身体发表评论。
The treatment of interns at the Capitol became a focal point in Kansas politics after Abbie Hodgson, a former Democratic staffer, revealed to The Star and other news outlets that during the 2016 session, female interns had been asked to serve as designated drivers for male lawmakers who had been drinking.
前民主党工作人员艾比·霍奇森 (Abbie Hodgson) 向《星报》和其他新闻媒体透露，在 2016 年会议期间，女性实习生被要求为酗酒的男性议员指定司机，国会大厦实习生的待遇成为堪萨斯州政治的焦点。
Hodgson alleged that Democratic leaders had been reluctant to deal with the situation after she raised concerns.
霍奇森声称，在她提出担忧后，民主党领导人一直不愿处理这一情况。
House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat and a candidate for governor, was not in leadership at the time but was in the Legislature.
众议院少数党领袖吉姆·沃德（Jim Ward）是威奇托州民主党人和州长候选人，当时不在领导层，但在立法机构。
After leaving a meeting Monday afternoon at which legislative leaders discussed sexual harassment, Ward refused to answer questions about whether he had ever relied on interns as drivers.
周一下午，立法领导人讨论性骚扰问题的会议结束后，沃德拒绝回答有关他是否曾经依靠实习生当司机的问题。
“I have given all the statements I’m giving on sexual harassment,” he said.
“我已经就性骚扰问题发表了所有声明，”他说。
“I have given two.”
“我已经给了两个。”
When pressed about the designated drivers, Ward tried to change the topic.
当被问及指定司机时，沃德试图改变话题。
Hodgson said in an email Monday night that Ward and a group of lawmakers with whom he shares a house in Topeka were the most frequent passengers of interns.
霍奇森在周一晚间的一封电子邮件中表示，沃德和与他在托皮卡合租一套房子的一群议员是实习生最常乘坐的乘客。
“There is a group of legislators, of whom Jim Ward is one, that live in what they proudly refer to as the ‘frat house.’ The men that lived in the ‘frat house’ were the primary culprits when it came to using interns as designated drivers,” Hodgson said.
“有一群立法者，吉姆·沃德就是其中之一，住在他们自豪地称为‘兄弟会之家’的地方。住在‘兄弟会之家’的男人是使用实习生作为指定司机的罪魁祸首，”霍奇森说。
When read Hodgson’s comments Tuesday, Ward refused to answer the question about designated drivers and instead demanded to know whether Hodgson had accused him of harassment.
当周二读到霍奇森的评论时，沃德拒绝回答有关指定司机的问题，而是要求知道霍奇森是否指控他骚扰。
“You wrote stories that suggest that all of this is sexual harassment,” Ward said in a phone call.
“你写的故事表明所有这些都是性骚扰，”沃德在电话中说。
“So you’re asking me a question about Abbie Hodgson, here’s my answer: I never sexually harassed Abbie Hodgson.
“所以你问我一个关于艾比·霍奇森的问题，我的回答是：我从未性骚扰过艾比·霍奇森。
Period.”
时期。”
In a second phone call Tuesday, Ward was clearer on the issue and said that he had ridden in cars with both male and female interns.
在周二的第二次电话中，沃德对这个问题更加明确，并表示他曾乘坐过载有男性和女性实习生的汽车。
“I remember at least one time an intern was driving.
“我记得至少有一次实习生在开车。
Nothing inappropriate happened,” he said.
没有发生任何不适当的事情，”他说。
“I have ridden in cars with Republicans, Democrats, staff members, including interns.
“我曾与共和党人、民主党人、工作人员，包括实习生一起乘坐过汽车。
And we would be going to lunch events, legislative events immediately after work.
我们会在下班后立即参加午餐活动和立法活动。
And these would be receptions ...
这些将是招待会......
and that was the activity.
这就是活动。
Sometimes dinner was involved,” Ward said.
有时还包括晚餐，”沃德说。
He confirmed that alcohol was available at some of the events.
他证实在一些活动中提供酒精饮料。
Rep.
代表。
John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat who lives in the same building as Ward, said that it’s nicknamed the “frat house” because the building once belonged to a now-defunct law fraternity at Washburn University.
与沃德住在同一栋大楼的威奇托州民主党人约翰·卡迈克尔表示，这座大楼被昵称为“兄弟会之家”，因为该大楼曾经属于沃什伯恩大学的一个现已解散的法律兄弟会。
The roster of residents changes somewhat from session to session, but the house is primarily used by male Democratic lawmakers, who have their own apartments in the building.
居民名单因会议而异，但该房屋主要由男性民主党议员使用，他们在大楼内拥有自己的公寓。
Carmichael said that he could only remember interns serving as drivers on two occasions and that nothing inappropriate happened either time.
卡迈克尔表示，他只记得实习生曾两次担任司机，两次都没有发生任何不当行为。
He said that that the only time he rode with a female intern, lawmakers went to the Blue Moose Bar and Grill in Topeka and returned home after dinner and drinks.
他说，他唯一一次与女实习生一起骑行，议员们去了托皮卡的 Blue Moose Bar and Grill，吃完晚饭和饮料后回家。
Rep.
代表。
Brandon Whipple, a Wichita Democrat who also lives in the building, said in an email that he only recalled being driven by a male intern to an event with other lawmakers, staffers and interns.
同样住在该大楼的威奇托州民主党人布兰登·惠普尔(Brandon Whipple)在一封电子邮件中表示，他只记得自己曾被一名男性实习生开车送去与其他议员、工作人员和实习生一起参加一个活动。
Tom Day, director of Legislative Administrative Services, the agency that handles the Legislature’s human resources, said lawmakers are informed about the institution’s zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment.
负责立法机构人力资源的机构立法行政服务部主任汤姆·戴表示，立法者已了解该机构对性骚扰的零容忍政策。
He said the information is given out during a legislative orientation, which is primarily for new lawmakers.
他说，这些信息是在立法说明会上发布的，主要是针对新立法者的。
“I can’t tell you that an actual document is given to them with all the policies, but they are informed,” he said.
“我不能告诉你，所有政策都已交给他们一份实际文件，但他们是知情的，”他说。
Executive branch employees have to go through an online course on sexual harassment to “keep them aware on an annual or a biannual basis of the sexual harassment policies of the state of Kansas,” Day said.
戴说，行政部门员工必须参加有关性骚扰的在线课程，“让他们每年或每两年了解堪萨斯州的性骚扰政策”。
But lawmakers themselves are not required to go through similar training on a regular basis, Day confirmed.
但戴证实，立法者本身不需要定期接受类似的培训。
State Sen.
州参议员。
Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Republican, said lawmakers and other people who work in the Capitol should undergo regular training on the issue.
观澜湖共和党人芭芭拉·博利尔表示，议员和国会大厦的其他工作人员应该接受有关该问题的定期培训。
“It’s 2017 and we should have specific training …
“现在是 2017 年了，我们应该接受专门的培训……
I was always surprised that we didn’t,” Bollier said, noting that major corporations nearly universally provide such training to their employees.
我总是很惊讶我们没有这样做，”博利尔说，并指出大公司几乎普遍向员工提供此类培训。
“We need that and I hope they put that in place.”
“我们需要这个，我希望他们把它落实到位。”
“I don’t see that we’ve got an issue here in our state.
“我不认为我们州有问题。
What we’re doing now makes sense,” said the lawmaker who made the request.
我们现在所做的事情是有意义的，”提出请求的议员说。