It isn’t call-out culture that is toxic.

Almost exactly two years ago, I was forced to quit my job after a coworker and I lodged formal sexual harassment complaints against our boss. Nothing happened. Our board circled in to protect him, he publicly slandered us, and we were expected to just accept it. But I didn’t. I wrote a post on Facebook naming him and the specifics of what he had done to us. Soon after, he was allowed to resign.

Lawyers and the lawsuits they had brought, quiet conversations with mentors, nothing had the impact that my Facebook post had. Of course, because I am a woman I also faced huge repercussions. I was demonized and hurt by many people, mostly women, in my community.

But he wasn’t able to hurt the young women we worked with anymore. And that’s what mattered.

Critiques of call-out culture often sound a lot like simple victim-blaming.

I am done. done. done. living and working along side with men that haven’t done the work to combat their own trauma, internalized oppression and patriarchy.

She/Her/Hers. Anishinaabe. Artist. Organizer. Wonk. @ziibiing on the socials.

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