What if she wears one of these?
I wrote recently that while sexism and misogyny are rampant in our culture, the ruling penis class actually does profess, in words at least, that they believe in the equality of women. I think that many took what I said as somehow diminishing the widespread scope of sexism. Nothing could be further from the truth. Blatant sexism is not only permissible, but institutionalized through unspoken customs and practices, if not directly codified in policy. The U.S. Senate is not an exception:
North Carolina’s Kay Hagan, the state’s junior U.S. senator, thought she might have exposed a bit of good ol’ boyism in the nation’s capital. It seems that Hagan recently intended to exercise her right to, well, exercise in the Senate gym. But the senator was told that the swimming pool is for men only. Then, a day or so later, Hagan experienced another congressional custom — the murky, backpedaling response.
A staff member of the Architect of the Capitol’s office said after news of Hagan’s experience got out, “There are no rules prohibiting women senators from using the pool.” The staffer said Hagan had probably been given bad information by a gym employee.
So it is not the policy of the Senate Gym to prohibit women from using the pool, BUUUTTTT…..
That same staffer also said, “The practice of the gym is that the pool is used only by the male senators, but that’s not the policy.”
Practice versus policy. Okey, dokey.
Senator Hagan, welcome to Washington.
Welcome indeed. You’ve come a long way baby….
Posted by garychapelhill 
