By Whose Standards Did Andrew Cuomo Resign?

Trigger warning: This post includes mention of sexual harassment, misogyny and assault. Please take care while reading.  

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo was forced to resign this week amidst allegations of inappropriate behavior toward at least 11 women. The alleged behavior ranged from hugging to groping to unwanted kissing and other forms of physical and verbal harassment. Cuomo has vehemently denied these allegations saying that he did not ever inappropriately touch anyone. He indicated that he is friendly and grew up in a family that showed affection in these ways. In his resignation speech, he apologized for the “misinterpretations” of his behavior, still claiming that his gestures were innocent and not of a sexual nature. 

It is no secret that women, in particular, have endured inappropriate advances and touching—and worse—for centuries. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 seeks to protect women, and men for that matter, from sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that includes “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature…when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.” 

The law seems to be pretty clear about what constitutes sexual harassment, and thanks to the #MeToo Movement, originally started by Tarana Burke to amplify the voices of Black women who experienced sexual abuse and violence, women are speaking up, and men are being held accountable. Over the past few years, a number of other powerful, high-profile men like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby have gone to jail for their actions. 

I had my own experience over 30 years ago when I was in the corporate world. In a meeting, a vice president put his hand on my knee under the table where no one else could see it. My first reaction was shock and disbelief, and I just froze. What do I do? Should I say something? Should I move his hand? After all, he had power over me. Was it a mistake? Did he not think he was touching my knee? Of course, I could not concentrate on the topic of the meeting and just sat there stunned. I did move his hand, and he immediately put it back. Was this some kind of joke he was trying to play? A power move? And I dare you to call me out? It was obviously about power, but in the moment I could not make sense of it in that way. This was a man that I had respected for his expertise and his mentorship. I did not say anything, and to this day I remember the incident as if it were yesterday. I carry the trauma from that experience. 

The “standards” 30 years ago were definitely not to call out this type of harassment. Even today, I know that many women suffer this kind of abuse in silence. As I defined in the introduction to this series, a standard is that “that which is normal, usual or typical.” Sexual abuse perpetrated by men against women is still all too normal and typical, and women are using their agency to shape a new narrative. 

Women are changing the standards. It is now becoming normal and more typical that women will not sit silently in their pain. They are telling their stories and demanding that the perpetrators be held accountable no matter how powerful they are. While it is reassuring that the “standards” are changing, we must also pay attention and address the harm and embodied trauma caused by these experiences. That does not go away just because somebody loses their job or goes to jail. The damage to one’s wholeness and sense of well-being can linger for a long time. I can attest to this. 

Perhaps it is poetic justice that Cuomo will be replaced by a woman.