Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
Yesterday morning I woke up to an email from a former boss, my most important mentor and dear friend letting me know that her name was about to be released as a woman involved in a sexual harassment scandal that had been brewing at my alma mater. She had decided to reveal herself, along with another victim, after the media had become unrelenting in figuring out her identity.
And my heart just ached about it all day yesterday.
I ached because whistleblowers become re-victimized by a culture that doesn’t believe women when they say something is wrong.
I ached because public figures, especially in sports, often don’t face the same level of scrutiny as their victims.
I ached because I knew coming forward was an impossible decision.
I ached because this woman’s career is brilliant and full of incredible accomplishments and now Google searches will associate her name with this awful story for a long, long time.
And I ached because I love her. And she didn’t deserve any of this.
However, my heart also swelled with pride.
I am proud because she did the right thing. She spoke up. She stood in her truth.
I am proud because she did not hide.
I am proud because doing the brave thing isn’t always fair. It subjects you to repeated reopenings of the wounds. But she did it anyway.
I am proud because she is setting an example for her daughters, the women that work for her (past and present) and women everywhere: silence is not the answer.
And I am proud because she is helping my alma mater do the right thing and take steps to protect victims of harassment.
When I talked about my experience last year reporting sexual harassment at a startup, I truly believed I did the right thing. But I didn’t face even 1/1,000th of what my friend is going through right now. And it’s a lesson to me that I will carry for a long while.
The larger the institution, the more challenging it is to take it on. The more powerful the person, the more bravery it will demand.
This woman has been my hero for years. I have always known she was a strong woman. I have always known that she was a badass. But no one wants to see their heroes go through this. It’s a helpful reminder: the only way this stops… the only way we get to a culture where people don’t have to pull these amazing fetes of bravery at their workplace… is if more people stand up and tell the truth. No matter how difficult. No matter how powerful the opposition. Standing in your truth is the only way forward.
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