Back when the #MeToo movement was starting, I was skeptical about how many women said they had experienced sexual harassment, or worse, from the men in their lives. I admit I have lived a sheltered life, having only two very short-term office jobs in my career. Basically, I believed it couldn’t happen to me. At least, not in my adult life. Then something clicked when the Joe Biden issue surfaced.
To make it clear, I think Biden is pretty clueless about respecting personal space, though maybe it’s because he’s an old politician who’s always done it that way. A pol might get away with that.
A Catholic priest sure as hell should not. This shit actually did happen to me, when I was 14 to 18. And it was a nightmare. Let’s call him Fr. Mike, a Jabba-like human being who was far too friendly with young women. He liked to touch without permission, such as pulling on my jacket when my back was turned. He told me to “smile” after church one time, the Good Friday service. Who the hell smiles just after that? He once offered to take photos of me. Also said I was too “buttoned up” in the way I dressed. And he leered, a lot. WTF. The kicker is, this turd was a “counselor” for young people.
I say “was,” because Fr. Mike left the priesthood—but only after being moved from parish to parish by the diocese. He was at our church for five years. I wonder how many other young women had to deal with his crap. He ended up a custodian at a university and died a few years ago. Mom told me about it, and my reaction was, “hm.” She and Dad had actually liked the guy, too. They knew I was creeped out by him, but he was a priest so it was okay/s
For some reason I looked up the obituary, and there was a photo of the jerk. He still looked creepy as hell, satisfied with himself. At least he died at home alone. If I have ever hated or feared
anyone, it was Fr. Mike. So I can now understand why women want to forget about their experiences. I still wonder if it was my fault, over 35 years later; of course it wasn't. It's just that we often aren't believed or taken seriously when we run into the jerks.
Thanks, all, for reading this.