sexual harassment and secrets

Elise Mattheson's article, "How to Report Sexual Harassment", got me thinking about one time I did not report it. I'm not going to report the location because the store seems to be under a different owner now - this was over 30 years ago. One day the tailor, a little old man, reached out and grabbed my breast. Shocked, I didn't say anything but just stepped back and froze. One of the women who worked the dry cleaning machines saw it, and I was moved to a different store location very quickly but, as far as I know, nothing was ever said to the man who molested me.

I never told anyone. As I was thinking on this I recalled a Minbari ritual from Babylon 5. Part of the ritual was telling someone something you'd never told anyone. It's a ritual of change, of transformation. I love that worked into the ritual structure of that society is the idea that sharing secrets is good.