TOPLINE
Over a dozen House Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), took to the House floor on Thursday to call out a “culture” of sexism in Congress following an incident in which Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) was overheard calling Ocasio-Cortez a “fucking bitch” on the Capitol steps.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks on the House floor, Thursday, July 23, 2020 on Capitol … [+] Hill in Washington. (House Television via AP)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KEY FACTS
Ocasio-Cortez described the comments as “not deeply hurtful or piercing,” comparing Yoho’s language to that of ejected bar patrons and harassers on the New York City subway.
“This is not new, and that is the problem,” Ocasio-Cortez declared, alleging there is “a culture of… impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women and an entire structure of power that supports that.”
Over the course of an hour, Ocasio-Cortez was buttressed by her Democratic colleagues, male and female, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who said Yoho’s comments are not just an issue for women, but “an issue for fathers. This is an issue for sons. This is an issue for brothers.”
“All the men on this side of the aisle are supportive of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and all of her sisters and all of her mothers as well,” Hoyer concluded.
The overarching theme of the floor speeches was casting Yoho’s remark as part of a broader issue, with Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) calling them “disgusting, inappropriate and endemic of the toxic masculinity that permeates our culture and our country.”
Key Background
Yoho was quoted directly by The Hill reporter Mike Lillis as calling Ocasio-Cortez “disgusting” and a “fucking bitch” in a heated exchange on the Capitol steps Wednesday. In a floor speech on later that day, Yoho said “I rise to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York,” adding “having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I’m very cognizant of my language,” denying that he used “offensive name calling.” However, Yoho concluded that he “cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my god, my family and my country.”
Crucial quote
Responding to Yoho’s speech, Ocasio-Cortez declared Thursday: “I am someone’s daughter, too.”
Big Number
42%. A Pew Research poll in 2017 found that 42% of women reported gender discrimination at work, with 23% saying they were “treated as if they were not competent” and 16% saying they “experienced repeated, small slights at work.”
