Democratic Congressmember Katie Hill delivered her final remarks from the floor of the House of Representatives Thursday, in a scathing critique of what she said are “double standards” that apply to men and women in Washington.
Hill was elected to represent Southern California’s 25th District last November as one of the first openly bisexual people elected to Congress. She announced her resignation this week after admitting to a consensual relationship with a campaign aide before she took office. House ethics investigators are also looking into an alleged affair between Hill and her legislative director, though Hill has denied that relationship.
The allegations surfaced after RedState.org and the Daily Mail published naked images of Hill without her consent. Hill has accused her abusive husband of enlisting the help of “hateful political operatives” in a smear campaign based on cyberexploitation.
Rep. Katie Hill: “I’m leaving because of a misogynistic culture that gleefully consumed my naked pictures, capitalized on my sexuality and enabled my abusive ex to continue that abuse, this time with the entire country watching. … I am leaving. But we have men who have been credibly accused of intentional acts of sexual violence and remain in boardrooms, on the Supreme Court, in this very body and, worst of all, in the Oval Office.”
New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Politico, “This doesn’t happen to male members in the same way — revenge porn in this respect. … I don’t think we’re really talking about how targeted and serious this is. We’re talking about a major crime.”