I’ve received death threats for going public approximately the abuse I got,but it’s the only way to achieve gender equalityThis morning I opened my email account to find another death threat. The sender said they knew where I live and work. They said they would be waiting. Within two months they would gash off my head and place it in a plastic bag, and my head would be their prize possession. My head – my body – their possession. My offence? Last week I refused to accept a sexist and demeaning message sent to me by a senior lawyer via LinkedIn. I tweeted it, or along with my response. I believed I had the right – as I believe any woman has the right – to challenge sexism in the workplace and on professional social media.
Calling out a single instance of sexism in a professional space hit a nerve far deeper than I ever imagined. Why has one tweet that sought to challenge the objectification of women in professional spaces caused a furore? The truth is,I bear committed a double transgression. Not only bear I refused to passively accept being objectified; I bear also refused to apologise for having the temerity to hold a stand. What I did therefore was doubly threatening to vested power. It is a tragic irony that the misogynist abuse I bear endured is an attempt to reassert the patriarchal status quo, in which women in the public space are to be seen but not heard.
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Source: theguardian.com