Standing Up Against Sexual Harassment
WHEREAS, the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley strongly supports the rights of all individuals to work in a safe and professional environment free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, bullying and abuse including sexual harassment and sexual violence; and
WHEREAS, the #MeToo and #WeSaidEnough campaigns have shined a badly needed light on the pervasive sexual harassment which disproportionately impacts women, queer and trans individuals and communities of color every day across all industries and in politics, sparking a long overdue discussion about our party’s obligation to ensure that all women, regardless of whether they are activists, elected officials, party officers, staff or volunteers, are able to contribute their time, energy and activism free from harassment and intimidation; and
WHEREAS, treating every person equally, with dignity and respect, is a core value of our party, and that should be reflected in our operations and policies at every level, from our Democratic clubs and Central Committees to our candidates to our state party; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley stands in solidarity with the victims of sexual harassment and encourages all Democrats to demand policies at the state and national level that eliminate sexual harassment, allow victims of harassment to confidentially report their harassment through a hotline, require transparency, accountability, and input from survivors and victims’ advocates in anti-harassment policy creation, procedural implementation and training, employ whistleblower protections, anti-retaliation provisions and mandatory sexual harassment training at the workplace, thorough harassment investigations conducted by professional and independent investigators, allow victims to sue their harassers, allow victims to have a day in court, end forced agreements which burden victims with silence and shame and prevent future employers from discovering harassment settlements; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley must actively and continually strive to ensure that our party is a place free from harassment and intimidation, where every person is able to contribute their activism towards building the progressive future our state and country deserve.